The Arcanine boy
by ShadowScience
Summary: In a society where only strength (at Pokémon battles) is recognized. Tyler Dark, an ambitious young man plans to be the number 1 of his school, Victory High. On the way,he battles or befriends people like Brock, Skyla's little sister and lots of strong students in the school: (Roxie, Bianca, Cheren...) contains 10% of romance, some swearing and 2% 'ecchi' content.
1. The beginning

**Disclaimer : Pokémon and its characters are owned by Game Freak, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. So no copyright infringement intended.**

**Author's note: my first fic. We are in an alternate universe where the society in the Pokémon world is led by one thing: the Pokémon battles. But this time more serious because the strength you have at it determines your place in society (for example, a job like president or company CEO would require the skill of at least a champion.) The story revolves around a character of my creation, Tyler Dark. Well then, enjoy.  
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Pokémon battles. I love them. But it's a common thing in this day and age. This is the golden era of the Pokémon battles, your worth is proved by how strong you are at it. Nowadays, if you want to have a respectable job, you got to have mad skills. This is why we learn to fight at our youngest age since elementary school or even kindergarten for the most promising ones. I have always fought and progressed with my Growlithe and I was always among the top class of my schools, and now that I'm about to start my first year of high school alongside my lifelong partner (which is an Arcanine now) I feel that the fun is just about to begin. I will make this school know the name of Tyler Dark!

"Hey Tyler, the entrance ceremony is about to start!" Brock calls me as I catch up to him.

"Coming now!" I answered.

"After the principal's speech, there will be an exhibition match between the president and vice-president of the student body. Their strength is within the best class possible. We can't miss that, right?" he says getting excited.

I nod to him with a smile and we head to the Gymnasium for the principal's speech. After the speech, we all headed to the seats on the forums to watch the fight of the third years of the student body.

"This will be a one on one fight!" says the principal, "Battle begin!"

The vice president sent a Salamence while the president sent a Metagross. The Salamence attacked first by using Flamethrower. The flames fill the gymnasium with light. But the Metagross was still standing and answered with agility. The two Pokémon now seemed equal on speed terms, Metagross was jumping around, dodging all the Dragon Pulses the Dragon Pokémon threw at him from the air and leaped to it to deliver a mighty looking Meteor Mash that Salamence cushioned with a wing. The shockwave was felt all the way here, what power! Arcanine suddenly comes out of his Poké ball. He looks excited.

"Arcanine! What are you doing?" I say.

"Hmm let him watch." says Brock. "After all, this fight shows the level we should seek to attain. We should all watch closely."

"Yeah." I nodded.

Meanwhile, the Salamence used Dragon Meteor but Metagross jumped over it and jabbed the fierce Pokémon with Thunder Punch. The Dragon recoiled from the impact, it looked pretty spent, but the steel Pokémon had a bit more stamina left in it. I feel the fight is going to end soon.

"Salamence, finish it with Dragon Rush!" yelled the vice president.

"Metagross, counter with Zen Headbutt!" answered the president.

The two moves clashed with an unearthly force. When the smoke cleared, Metagross was the only one standing. The crowd of first years was speechless, me included. The silence lasted for a few more seconds until the principal broke it.

"Salamence is unable to battle, the winner is Metagross! Therefore, the victory goes to the president Carl Johnson!"

A round of applause for both competitors ensued. Seeing this match really fired me up to fight myself. The day was not done.

Now all that is left today is the classification exam. It's the exam that decides the rank of the class you go to. I intend to get to the rank A class along with, I hope, Brock. The examiners sat on the benches while all the first years are preparing. Me, Brock and Arcanine were waiting on a corner of the gymnasium. I adjusted my ponytail when they suddenly called Brock.

"Good luck, pal!" I say while patting his shoulder."You better score."

"Don't worry, I'll make it to rank A." he said reassuringly "Onix should do the trick."

Then the examiners called my name. Arcanine suddenly barks, I turn around… I know that look. He was begging me with his eyes to make me choose him for the exam. He didn't get a good fight since the entrance exam it took me to pass to get in Victory High (this school. Man that examiner's Golem was tough!) I smile at him and pat him on the head.

"Of course I'll choose you buddy." I say with a smile.

The examiners picked out my opponent, a short haired boy with glasses, It's a one on one battle. He sends a Golduck. A wide grin shows on my face. "Arcanine, full power!"

**Next time, Tyler displays his mad skills! Hope you enjoyed, feel free to review. Criticism is welcome, flame isn't. Thank you!**


	2. Battle for rank A

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Pokémon.**

**I'm back with the second chapter to announce good news: Tyler goes in action! What rank will he get? Find out now!**

The examiners started taking notes as soon as our respective Pokémon took their positions. Of course I won't screw up but it still looks stressing. Arcanine started growling, that means he is fired up, which means the chances of victory with that nerdy glasses shorty are close to zero.

"This will be a one on one battle" says the referee examiner," Tyler Dark's Arcanine VS Jimmy Donald's Golduck. Battle start!"

"Arcanine! Start with Flamethrower!" the move hits but Golduck stands strong. I know it wasn't going to bring him down but I felt like sending it a greeting.

"Golduck, use Water Pulse!" answered the boy.

"Arcanine, jump!" Arcanine dodged the attack and was now in midair.

"Golduck! Hydro Pump now!"

"Arcanine dodge and close in with Extremespeed!" my Pokémon then moves at warp speed right in front of Golduck, in the middle of executing the previous attack "Now use Wild Charge!" the violent electric attack sent the Golduck flying at least 5 meters in the sky, it was nearing the ceiling of the gymnasium. I guess it's over.

"Golduck! Snap out of it and use Water Pulse, quick!" Golduck retaliates and the sphere of water hits Arcanine… HARD! Upon landing, the boy says to Golduck "Now finish with Psychic!" Arcanine gets hit again and is down, "Ha! You shouldn't underestimate me!" adds the shorty.

"Yeah you're not that bad." I answer "So I'm gonna try a little this time." I turn to the examiners and say "I will finish this battle now." smirking "Get up Arcanine!" my Pokémon quickly springs to his legs.

"Don't look down on me!" the glasses boy screams "Golduck! Finish him! Hydro Pump!"

"Arcanine! You know what to do." I soon as I said, that he nodded to me and started to absorb light. He started to run in Golduck's direction while avoiding the attack. Arcanine was now just in front of Golduck.

"What? Golduck, no!" says the boy, starting to panic.

"My gift, boy, for actually being able to hit my Arcanine. A point blank Solarbeam! Arcanine, go!" the powerful beam cripples the poor Pokémon as he falls to the ground. My Arcanine rejoins me as I turn my back on the battle scene. At that moment, I couldn't help but say: "Mad Skills!"

"Golduck is unable to battle! Arcanine is the winner! So the victory goes to Tyler Dark!" says the referee.

"Good work, you two. You are dismissed." says one of the examiners.

Satisfied, I make my way to the stands looking for Brock when, suddenly, a girl with pink hair calls to me.

"Hey, hum… Tyler, was it?"

"Yeah! That's right. And you are?"

"The name's Whitney! A first year just like you. I just finished my ranking exam."

"Alright. Did you want to tell me something?"

"Yes I did" she says getting excited with sparkles in her eyes "Your performance was mega ultra super over the top of the cool badassery of awesomeness!" she says, cheerfully jumping.

"Um… Thank you." I answer embarrassed.

"And that sentence at the end: "Mad skills!", she says, imitating me "wow true epicness!"

"Err… Well…" I was at a loss of words.

"The guy who was with you was not bad too now that I think of it. Well… See you around."

She left before I could say another word. What an energetic girl! I wonder if she is strong. Brock then comes to me.

"Hey who was that pretty girl you were talking to? Great job winning also."

"Her name was Whitney. She was kinda hyper and a bit strange but she just liked my fight. Nevermind that, how did you fare?"

"That guy's Druddigon was tough but I still pulled it off. You of all people should know that my defense isn't just for show."

"True dat! Hey, let's go back to the crowd to watch the rest and wait for the results, okay?"

Brock nods and we head back. The two of us along with Arcanine watched the rest. Some people stood out, a guy with an Electivire, a girl with an Unfezant, and a girl with a guitar that had quite the strong Scolipede. There seems to be quite a lot of first years that might make interesting opponents. I can't wait for the results! Once they were announced after everyone was done, I called Arcanine back to his ball and Brock and I headed to the board… I was so glad. Both of us were in the same class, Class A! And that made us A rank trainers. Looking closer on the board, I see the pictures and names of the students that stood out to me during the exam. Oh! Whitney's there too! So she was strong after all!

"Brock?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm gonna like that school."

"I second that."

My adventure begins… Now! When I'm done after these 3 years of high school, it will be painted by the colors of my mad skills!

**Hope you enjoyed! Don't hesitate to review. Next time, Tyler starts taking on rank A classmates. See you soon!**


	3. Enter Skyna

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**I'm back. Tyler started his high school year and is about to take on many challenges to achieve his goal. Enjoy!...**

It's almost been a month since the school year started. The end of September is near. Not much has happened and everyone in the class seem to blend in with each other. However, that's not my case. Nothing personal, but I'm kind of bored. In the high school curriculum, we start to learn and master the Triple battle and the Rotation battle. Up to middle school, we were perfecting only single and double. Multi, with a partner is to be learned at any level of education. Except Brock, who I've known since middle school, I don't talk to others a lot. And I'm bored because I haven't fought a classmate yet and the teachers are to hold back when they train us. I want some challenge! And so today I am dozing off on my desk during class… Again. And usually, I head at the back of the gymnasium to chill out with my Pokémon. Arcanine comes out of his Poké Ball and starts to lick my face, I pet him, and we stay like this for a while. Then our little bonding is interrupted by an oh too familiar voice: "STOP RIGHT THERE YOU LAZY BUM!", oh great, there she goes again! I turn my head, I see an orange haired girl. She's always wearing that thin white tank top and those short jeans. A hot date if you'd ask me, now if only she wasn't so annoying.

"Oh, it's Boring Chick." I answer half-heartedly.

"I keep telling you, it's Skyna! Get it already!" she answers in a rage.

Yep, she's called Skyna alright. She's the class rep and I always find her reprimanding me whenever I laze around. Remember the girl with the Unfezant at the ranking exams? Yeah, that's her!

"Anyway, what do you want with me?"

"You should know! Not only you always laze around, but you get your Pokémon out outside classes! As class rep it is my duty to make sure everyone respects the rules!"

"Geez, can't you bother someone else with your boring rules? Arcanine! Shut her up!"

Arcanine pins Skyna to the ground, but then he starts licking her affectively, much to my surprise.

"S-stupid, g-get off me!"

"Arcanine, stop!" he then gets off her and comes to my side as soon as I say that.

"You and your lecher Pokémon… Grrr I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

"Sigh, calm down will ya? I appreciate the challenge but Arcanine doing this to you means he likes you, you know?"

"Sh-shut up!" she answers looking flustered. "Just man up and accept my challenge you lazy bum! If I win, you will abide by the rules, get it?"

"Fine, but if I win, I will make you my sparring partner! Routine fights may get me out my boredom!"

"F-fine! It's on!"

It's a good thing the gymnasium is empty; we can fight to our hearts content. We each take our position. She takes a Poké Ball out of her pocket.

"We will each use one Pokémon. A one on one will decide this!" she says.

"Fine with me."

"Swellow! Fly away!"

I get ready to send Arcanine but then, he backs down.

"I see! So you like her that much, huh? Fine, I'll send someone else." So I reach for a Poké Ball in my back pocket. "Luxray! Full power!" Luxray comes out fired up.

"Not a bad choice, but if you think you'll beat me easily just because of a type advantage, you got another think coming." She tells me, gloating.

"Yeah, yeah let's start! Luxray! Thunderbolt!"

"Swellow! Dodge with Quick Attack!"

"Thunderbolt again!"

"Fly over it and use Quick Attack!"

Swellow dodges and heads towards Luxray with a tremendous speed.

"Counter with Wild Charge!"

"Dodge at the last moment!"

Before the two moves connect, Swellow deviates a little to the right.

"Switch to Fire Fang and catch it with it!"

Luxray's burning fangs reach the Swellow just in the nick of time. The Pokémon starts panting with a few burns on its body. It's a bit strange. It could have dodged that move with ease. Skyna starts cackling:

"You just dug your own grave, lazy bum!"

"What?"

"You burned my Swellow. As a rank A trainer, you should know what it means."

"You don't mean..."

"Yes, it's Guts! I purposely let my Swellow be burned to activate it. Since getting paralyzed by an electric move would be too reckless, I let my Swellow take damage from your fire attack. Now its attack is increased twofold! Give up lazy bum!"

"It's not over! Luxray, Thunderbolt!"

"Yes it is! Swellow, Wing Attack!" The Swellow gets surrounded by a powerful aura and executes the move while avoiding mine. Luxray recoils.

"Fire Fang!"

"Return" The move overpowers Luxray. He tries to get back up.

"Finish with Façade!" Because of the burn, the move is 200% effective. Luxray gets smashed to the ground.

Luxray isn't moving. Damn! I won't let it end like this!

"Luxray! Get up! Wild charge!" He opens instantly his eyes and struggles to get up. After a few seconds, he finally executes the move.

"Swellow, dodge and get behind him!" the bird Pokémon does so. "Now Façade again!"

"Wait for it, wait for it… Luxray now, turn around and catch it with Ice Fang!" The move connects violently. Swellow falls to the ground and gets back up with difficulty, covered with burns and small chunks of ice.

"That was just to soften you up!" I add. "Now Luxray, finish with Thunderbolt!" Swellow, burnt and greatly damaged by the ice attack was unable to dodge. The match was over.

"NOOO! How could I lose to that lazy bum!?"

"Mad Skills!" I say in all glory.

"Don't get carried away! I will set you right someday! You'll see!"

"Yeah, yeah, meanwhile, you need to keep your promise." I add with a huge grin on my face.

"Alright, alright! B-but don't get me wrong! I'll just become your sparring partner because I keep my promises, not because I wanna get along with you! Got it?!" she answers flustered.

Before I can answer, I suddenly hear people coming in the empty gymnasium. It's Whitney and Brock!

"I knew I could find you here Tyler." Says Brock.

"My my. It seems you got yourself a new friend." Says Whitney sarcastically.

"There is no way this lazy ass is my friend!" Yells Skyna before leaving the gymnasium in a huff, her face as red as a Solrock.

She didn't have to deny it so strongly.

"Class is restarting in five minutes so I came to get you." Says Brock.

"Your Luxray here seems pretty beat. How was the fight between you two?" asks Whitney.

"She was tough." I say while petting Luxray. "That's A rank for you. But this guy prevailed" Luxray looks happy hearing that. I call him back to his ball.

"You know. I noticed that you were bored lately; I know you always crave for challenge. If you want a good fight you can always ask me." Adds Brock.

"Thanks man. I'll keep that in mind." I answer.

"What are you guys doing!? We'll miss class if we keep chattering, let's go!" shouts Whitney, already at the door.

With a new sparring partner at my side, especially if it's the class rep, I'm bound to improve. I'm one step closer to my goal in being the best. Victory, success, here come the Mad Skills!

**Hope you enjoyed! Next time, Tyler takes on the school hoodlums! See you around!**


	4. The battle for pride

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**Tyler is back with new challenges. From this chapter, the character's POV might change depending on the situation. Well here's chapter 4… Enjoy!**

**Neutral POV.**

"Unfezant, Brave Bird!"

"Arcanine, Flare blitz!"

The two powerful moves connect and the surge of energy shines in the dusk sky. Both Pokémon look exhausted after the sparring session. Skyna calls back her Pokémon.

"You have a good offensive power and your Pokémon have a balanced moveset. I hate to admit it but you are a powerful trainer." Skyna says.

"Why thank you." Tyler says with a smile.

Skyna blushes furiously "Don't get carried away! I praised your power, not you! Being powerful does not mean I will let you ignore the rules got it?! You lazy bum!"

"Okay okay, I get it! Sheesh! Hey I wanted to ask you something, by the way."

"What?"

"I've only seen you use Flying type Pokémon. Any reason for that?"

"Well… Let's say I was influenced a lot by my big sister. You can call her a sky maniac. Sigh."

"I see."

"What about you? I want to know. Your Arcanine had a lot of different moves than usual tonight. How can you give your Pokémon moves so easily? You even taught Brave Bird to my Unfezant! And that's a hard move to learn for his specie!"

"That's because my parents are hardcore Move Tutors. Be it moves learned by TM's, reproduction or naturally, as long as the Pokémon is able to use the move, I can teach them."

"I understand. Well, it's time to get back to the dorms so I'll take my leave" Says Skyna.

"See ya!" answers Tyler brightly.

**Tyler's POV.**

I sure have my hands full now, when it comes to training. Arcanine spars with Skyna at the evening, Luxray takes on Whitney's Clefable at noon after lunch, and in the morning, Brock helps me train this 'little fella'. Anyway, let's call it a day. I get to my room, say goodnight to Brock, my roommate, and fall to a deep sleep. Night-night!

**Skyna's POV.**

The shower drops washes the soap away from my body. I turn off the shower and take my towel to dry myself. I change to my pajamas. Altaria comes out of the ball on my desk and cuddles up to me on my bed, I hug it.

(That lazy ass got some nerve. Does he think I'm a coach or something? Well… He did beat me fair and square. But still! He's an undisciplined jerk who disregards the rules and takes his over affective mutt outside dorms and classes! But even with that… He is still a skilled trainer… And he did look cool when he beat me… Just a bit…)

"BUT HE'S STILL A JERK!" Altaria startles. "Sorry Altaria. Geez, because of this guy, here I am, talking to myself."

But… Why am I thinking about him so much? That lazy ass…

**Neutral POV**

The morning quickly came. Tyler felt a big mass pressing against his body. It was hot, and crushing him a little.

"Arcanine, get off! I can't breathe!" He licks Tyler's face before getting off. That always was his way of saying 'good morning'. Brock was in the mini-kitchen making their breakfast. Tyler eats up like an ogre.

"Hey Tyler! Have you heard? The physical teacher is coming back next week. The one we had up until now was a substitute."

"I see. But does it make any difference?"

"This man is known as very rough with the students. He might give you a hard time."

"Ok, I'll see how strong he is when he gets there."

A physical teacher is a teacher that evaluates the Physical stats and capabilities of the students Pokémon. There are also Special and Speed teachers. Heading to class in the school corridor, Tyler spots something that looks like a commotion. It was three students that seemed to be harassed by punks with black leather jackets.

"Soooo? Where is our money?" says the punk.

"You don't want to anger the boss, do you?" says a second punk.

"N-no." answers nervously one of the victims. "But… You've… Already taken… Quite a lot from us so…"

"So ya sayin ya can't pay us?!" yells the third punk.

"Then yer gonna pay wit yar bodies! We'll rough ya up so bad wit our Pokés that ye'll beg us ta suck our dickies ta ease da pain, ya little shits!" they call out their Poochyenas as soon as they finish. They growl as the three boys back up to the wall in fear.

"Tch! Hey punks! Instead of bullying the weak, try to mess with me and this guy!" a livid Arcanine just came out of his Poké ball and was glaring at the three punks.

"Wadja lookin at?! Ya wanna mess with us?!" answers one of the punks.

"Wait, man! I think I know him. It's that A class guy. His Pokémons are freakin strong." Says the other one.

"Who cares?" he answers. "A class or not, he'll pay for messin with us! It's 3 on 1 anyway! Yer goin down!"

"Doesn't matter how many of you there are. You're just a bunch of small fries." Tyler says with a cold condescending tone. Arcanine was ready to attack the Poochyenas.

"Hold it!" screamed a familiar voice. Skyna has arrived and she had already sent her Swellow. "As class rep of class A, I order all of you to stand down! If not, you will all be apprehended and reported!"

The punks back down and call back their Pokémon. They then proceed to get away.

"We'll remember dis! Our boss will tame ya, ya bitch!" they said while leaving.

Everything was over. For now, at least. But in reality, it was the beginning of what was going to be later a real game of war.

Tyler turns to the three bullied boys: "Are you alright?"

"Do we look alright?" says one of the boys. Tyler's eyes grew wide with surprise. The small boy in the middle who spoke turned out to be Jimmy Donald, the boy Tyler faced in the ranking exam.

"How dare you show up to me again?" he continued. "Because I lost to you even with the advantages I had, the examiners ranked me E! And the same happened to my two friends!" The two other boys looked away. One was fat and the other was long and thin like a toothpick, he was wearing braces. "Because the worst students end up in class E and F, those classes are full of delinquents! We always get picked on!"

"But if they are that bad then you should be able to defeat them, right? You just said they are rank F trainers." Says Skyna, showing concern.

Tyler was still listening quietly. He looked cold and serious.

"It isn't possible!" says the chubby one. "Even if they were ranked E and F, rumors say that their group purposely let themselves get bad grades so they could end up in weak classes so they could bully them. They make the teachers believe they are weak, but they are way stronger than you think. And they always move in packs so resistance is nothing short of foolish. And their boss is undefeatable, he may be ranked E but he has the strength of at least B rank! There is no hope for us."

"And all the best Pokémon we have are a Golduck for Jimmy, a Bibarel for Boris and a Magnemite for me!" adds the long one. "There is nothing we can do!"

"And it's your fault if I am in this living hell in the first place! You just had to humiliate me in front of the jury that day and brand me a loser for the rest of the year! Shouts Jimmy to Tyler.

"Is that all you have to say?" Responds Tyler dryly. He then suddenly grabs Jimmy by the throat and tosses him against the wall. "GROW SOME BALLS, DIPSHIT! YOU CALL YOURSELF A MAN?!" Skyna was shocked by the sudden burst of rage from the dangerous A class young man. "Yeah, it's because of me that you're here! So what? I just did what I had to do! You should know the rules of that school! It says that if you get good results in your class, you can go to a higher rank during the year! You know why you're still here?! Because you didn't do anything about your situation, you fucking coward! You think you and your friends don't belong here?! Then man up and climb your way back up to me! If not, you can keep up being their bitches for all I care…" He then left in a huff, Skyna following him. They were going to be late for class.

Mean while, Jimmy's friends tried to get him up: "Don't worry Jimmy" said the big boy. "Don't listen to him; we'll make it through this somehow."

"… No, he's right." Answers the boy with the glasses. "We have to stand up to them. I won't let this continue any longer."

"You are mad!" screams the tall student. "Let's give up. There is too many of them and we are so weak. We'll get slaughtered! And they will be worse with us next time! Don't do it!"

Jimmy slams his hand on the wall: "Yes I know I'm weak. But I don't want to stay weak! I want to be strong! When I came to this school, I dreamed to be part of the elite! He made me remember that dream. And I won't let those punks to take it away! I was wrong to blame others for my own failures. I will set things right by defeating them. But I can't do it alone, so please, help me."

"… Ok." Quietly agrees the fat boy.

"Thanks Boris. What about you Daniel?"

"We'll never make it. We'll never make it…" he said with tears in his eyes.

"Don't be afraid, have faith." Said Jimmy reassuringly. But he was begging him in his eyes.

"Ok… I'll join you guys…" he finally said.

"Good. We will strike at 4PM at their hideout at the back of the school. We'll have to use our strongest Pokémon. You'll have to fight at your maximum, got it?" They nod to it.

4PM finally came and Tyler just finished class. He was heading back to the dorm along with Brock. Skyna and Whitney were accompanying them. Skyna then speaks to Tyler:"Hey, don't you think you were too rough with those 3 back then?! We should have told somebody!"

"Oh! Boring Chick! You're still going on about th-"

A voice saying "SOMEONE HELP!" interrupted him. It was Daniel that was running like a Dodrio through the corridor.

"Mr. Dark! Please help us!" he then said on his knees. His face was sullied by his own tears and mucus, much to Tyler's disgust.

"Dry yourself up! And please call me Tyler. Anyway, what do you want?"

"Jimmy and Boris went to attack the gang of thugs by themselves. They are in danger, help them please!"

"And what are you doing here then? Did you manage to escape from them?" answers Tyler, suspicious.

"I told them it was too dangerous. I told them. I really did! I managed to lose them after running so much!" Tyler raised an eyebrow. "… I ran away, ok?! I abandoned them OK?! I deserted my friends when they believed in me! I'm such a coward. But going against them is too scary! I just can't do anythiiiing!" he said in a flow of tears.

"Are you done?" Said Tyler after a while that seemed like an eternity. "When you find the manliness which you obviously lost, don't forget to help the friends that are so precious to you. Waiting for that moment, tell me where they are so I can help them."

"*Sniiff*! In the building at the back of the school."

Tyler turns to his friends: "Anyone want to accompany me for some hoodlum busting?"

"I'd be glad to help but I think I'll call a teacher instead." Answered Brock.

"I'll sit this one out, I think." Said Whitney playfully. "You and Skyna are more than enough."

"Fine then, let's go Boring Chick." Said Tyler while he starts running to the battlefield."

Then, everyone left. Leaving an ashamed and crying Daniel.

Skyna catches up to him: "It's Skyna, you lazy ass! Anyway, don't get me wrong, I'm not going there because I want to help you or anything. I'm just going to save those poor boys from harm, got it?!"

"That's cool. I don't care what your reason is, I just want some action! Hahaha! Now let's go!" They then accelerated…

The thugs were glaring, snickering, and threatening. With their pale skin and shaved heads, they gave off a scary aura. Completely outnumbered by a bunch of Zubats, Golbats and Poochyenas, Boris's Zigzagoon and Bibarel just gave in to their injuries and fainted. Jimmy's Marill was heavily damaged and his Golduck was starting to get tired.

"Wat's doz guyz problem?!" said the Boss-in-second of the thugs. "They beaten 30 of the 50 Pokémon of our boys and they still not shuttin up."

"Just ya wait! When we're done wit yer sissy Pokémon, yer next! We'll stuff so many Dusk Balls up yo asses that yer gonna beg Red's forgiveness fer defyin us!"

"Ha! Red's forgiveness? If even God can't forgive us, then that means we're in a tough situation right, Jimmy?" said Boris, panting.

"We must… Stand strong… We… Must… Defeat them…" Jimmy was reaching his limit.

"Too bad Daniel left us. Maybe with him we could've lasted longer. Maybe we asked too much of him. We couldn't even reach their boss."

Before Jimmy could say anything else, a Shadow Ball attack out of nowhere was fired on Boris, who took the full brunt of it and collapsed.

"BORIS! NO!"

Another Shadow Ball was headed for Jimmy and Golduck. All hope was lost.

(Did all my hard work could only come to… This? Why?...)

A voice then say: "Fire… Blast."

A huge and violent star of fire appears at that moment, dispelling the Shadow Balls to dust and knocking out the remaining 30 thug Pokémons, along with their trainers. Among the flames then emerges Tyler Dark. He looks at Boris.

"Sorry for being late, kid. Leave the rest to me. Hey Skyna!" He calls to her."Take this guy to the infirmary."

"But… I came to fight too! Don't leave me on the sidelines!"

"I am asking you because you're the class rep. Didn't you say you wanted to help them? This is the best you can do right now. Come back after you're done! Alright?" she nods, transports Boris on her Altaria and escapes.

"T-Tyler?" says Jimmy, shocked.

"You did a good job back there, dude. Now let's rock!

"Whaddaya think yer doin?!" Says the Boss-in-second.

"You're a bunch of eyesores so I came to kick your asses." Answers Tyler coldly.

"Hey wuts goin on here?! Said a voice in the end of the room. The voice was revealed to be a big, large man.

"B-Boss! Those two are defyin us! They dare to-"

"Shaddup! Said the big man. "So them are the assholes disturbin meh sleep?! And defyin me, Rocky the second year?"

"Y-Yes Boss. Help us deal with dem!" Said the second.

"I just got an idea! You and I take dem on in a double battle, then, after we win, we mug'em!"

"Great idea Boss. Whaddaya say you bastards?!"

"Fine with us!" Said Tyler and Jimmy almost together.

Tyler reached his the chest pocket of his leather jacket: "I don't use 'this fella' often in matches due to his roughness with his enemies, but I won't feel guilty using him against scum like you." He takes a Poké Ball from his pocket. "Absol! Full power!" A vicious-looking Absol comes out.

"And I'll use Golduck!" Adds Jimmy.

The Boss sent out a Skuntank while the second sent a Scrafty. The battle started as soon as the Pokémon were in place.

"Absol, use X-scissor on Skuntank" The move hits viciously.

"Golduck, Hydro Pump on Scrafty!" Scrafty takes heavy damage.

Both enemy Pokémon get back up.

"Skuntank, Sludge bomb!"

"Scrafty, Dark Pulse!"

"Absol, dodge with Dig!" The dark Pokémon hides underground before the move hits.

"Golduck, counter with Ice Beam!" Dark Pulse and the cold attack connect, resulting in a shockwave."Now push Scrafty on Skuntank with Water Pulse!" The sphere shoves the Scrafty on the Skuntank, one falling on the other. Then, Dig hits both of them and the two are propelled in the air viciously.

"Absol, wrap this up with Superpower!" Absol jumps behind the two Pokémon in the air and pounds them to the ground viciously… again.

"Golduck, Hydro Pump!" Skuntank dodges it but Scrafty gets knocked out by the attack. Only a spent Skuntank was left. Absol was preparing to finish it with Razor Wind.

But then, like sore losers, both punks sent out their 5 other Pokémon each. A bunch of Muk and Whirlipede.

"Gyahahaha! Did you expect a fair fight? We're delinquents ya losers!" Said Rocky.

"You cheaters!" Shouted Jimmy. His Golduck was way too tired to continue.

"Tsk!" Tyler clicked his tongue in frustration. He was prepared to send his other Pokémon, but suddenly…

"Magnemite! Discharge!" said a voice. The thug Pokémon were then paralyzed. Daniel entered. He looked resolute, more than ever. "Skyna told me everything on the way to the infirmary! I made my decision! I won't run away anymore! I won't be scared anymore! I will protect my friends, my dreams of the future and my pride as a man! I swear on the manliness in me, I WON'T GO BACK ON MY WORD! YOU PUNKS, COME AND GET IT!" He was yelling and crying.

A satisfied smile showed on Tyler's face: "Go get'em champ."

"Aaaaarrghhh! Kill dat piece o'shit! Yelled Rocky. The thug Pokémon attacked the little Magnemite who recoiled, but, like a response to it's trainer's determination, a blinding light enveloped the magnetic Pokémon, it was evolving!

"Magneton, Flash cannon!" Said Daniel to the newly evolved Pokémon. The powerful steel attack pushes back all the Pokémon.

"Guys, it's getting late! Let's wrap this up! Let's do a combo!

"Ok!" They answered.

"Absol, Razor Wind!"

"Golduck, Hydro Pump!"

"Magneton, Flash Cannon!"

The reaction was viciously explosive. It knocked out every of the opponents Pokémon and blew away all the Thugs across the room. "Mad Skills!" said Tyler again. After that, only Rocky was conscious, but he was definitely out of commission. Everything was over.

"Hahaha… Don't think it's over…" he says. "I still have boys posted outside the building… They'll get ya for this…" He collapses.

Tyler, Jimmy and Daniel got carefully out of the building. There was no-one.

(He must have been bluffing) thought Tyler. But then, a thug came to them crawling and covered in blood.

"H… Help. We were attacked by a girl and… Her Pokémon… Massacred us all… It was a Milt… *thud*" He faints before he could finish.

"Who was it? A girl? Hmm… Oh well. Whoever she is, she dealt with them in my place; that saves me some trouble. Alright guys, let's get back to the dorms!" They nod to that and the 3 walk away.

Meanwhile, before a pile of beaten up thugs, a girl was standing in the middle of a pool of their blood. Whitney was stretching and yawning.

"Awww. That was some good exercise Miltank, thank you! But I'm gonna need to wash those clothes, they reek of blood. Tyler and the others should be done on their side too. Well then, let's call it a day."

At the dorms entrance, Jimmy talks to Tyler: "Tyler, we thank you for today. But one day, before the end of this year, me and my friends will catch up to you. I will defeat you someday!"

"No need to thank me. However, I too intend to fight you again. Anyway, don't forget to stay true to those words, squirt. See you around." They shook hands and left.

Satisfied, Tyler headed back to his room… New challenges await for another day.

**Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are welcome. Next time the Physical teacher arrives. See you soon. (Is it me or this chapter was longer than usual?)**


	5. The Coach

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**I'm back for more. With a new chapter; with more adventures. This time, it's the rough physical teacher, enjoy…**

**Neutral POV**

A week has passed since the obliteration of Rocky and his group. Most of them have been suspended by the principal and the others lay a low profile; punished with detention. Their main victims, Jimmy, Boris and Daniel have been rewarded for their handling of the situation and got promoted to class D trainers. Thus, transferring them to class D; putting the thug nightmare behind them for good. Tyler Dark only got praised…

Peace was back in Victory High. Or so it seems. Footsteps at that moment closed in on the school entrance: "I'm back bitches!" Whoever it was, this wasn't good.

**Tyler's POV**

Arcanine was eating quietly his Pokémon food. I just finished my breakfast. Brock was washing the dishes. The TV in our room was broadcasting the school news:

"Last year, Elysium was the winner of the annual inter-school tournament. Now the prelims for this year's tournament will be held very soon, 2 months exactly. We will now ask to our guest, Mr. Oak, his prognostics about the chances of Victory High this year. So, Mr. Oak, what are our chances this year?"

"We got quite a lot of young talents this year. Not to mention the talents that were already present before that, their capabilities have improved by leaps and bounds. If they stay in shape, our victory chances are pretty fair! We might even beat students from Elysium."

"Wow! Thank you, Mr. Oak, dear viewers, we'll return after the break!"

I turn the TV off. We have to leave; physical class is going to start in 5 minutes. Brock and I start running to the classroom.

"Hey Brock! Do you plan to participate?"

"To what?" he answers, running.

"You know, the inter-school tournament! You heard about it too!"

"Hmmm… I think I will."

"Good luck to you then. But watch out! I will enter it too."

"I won't go easy on you!" he says with a smile.

"You bet!"

We're almost at the classroom, I see Skyna in the corridor: "You idiot! You were almost late! Hurry and get in!"

"Really? Then, what are you doing outside the classroom? Were you perhaps waiting for me?" I say, teasing.

"Hahaha! You wish, you big dummy." She answers with a playful smile. I'm a little bit surprised, but ever since this fight against those punks last week, the distance between us has shrunk. She still calls me lazy bum though…

Inside, all the students went to sit. After a long moment of silence, the teacher finally came in. He went in front of the blackboard and stood before all of us, staring at everyone. He was a large, ripped, bald black man. He was wearing an atypical outfit for a teacher: a white tank top and jeans, revealing his obvious musculature. He was frowning and his big pecs were moving by themselves, visible through the tank top. His serious expression seemed to send a chill through most of the class. He was our real physical teacher. We had a substitute for the whole first month so I don't know anything about him, but one thing is sure: that man's strength was off the charts! He was not to be messed with. After getting a good look at the class, he finally spoke: "How you doin! I'm yo physical teacher, Joe Damian!" he said in a tough sounding voice. "Call me Mr. Damian!" everyone nod.

"Now stand up, we goin outside!" says suddenly Mr. Damian.

"But… Aren't we supposed to get a lecture in the classroom?" asks one of the students.

"No! It ain't goin down like dat! We do classes outside wit me!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Coz I said so! Writt'n tests, lectures, dat bullshit's fo' pussies! Real men do thangs physic'ly! Nothin better than learn da har' way! He answers hardily.

"But there are women too!" Points out Skyna.

The teacher growled silently. His muscles were hardening, showing enormous veins popping out: "I'm da teach here! When I say it's goin down like dat, it's goin down like dat!"

Everyone went outside in a flash. We were all in the school field. According to the rumors Brock fed me, that man, before being a teacher, was a tough quarterback and had terribly strong Pokémon. When he switched to be a teacher, the students called him by: "The coach of death!"If his exercise today includes using my Pokémon, I think I'll sit this one out for security reasons.

"Very well! Like I said, doin stuff da har' way is da best way ta learn, so imma gonna ask one of y'all ta send yo Pokémon against mine! We gon' start with the Attack stat! Someone got a Pokémon wit good attack so we can get started?!"

I back down in the group so he doesn't choose me, but suddenly, someone grabs my hand.

"He'll be perfect, sir!" says Whitney with glee, lifting my hand in the air.

(CURSE YOU, WHITNEY!) I was raging within. *sigh* Can't be helped. I'll do it.

"Good! Ya can use any number of Pokémon yo like! I'll send mine! All ya hafta do is fighting my partner wit only physical attacks!"

"But wouldn't you be outnumbered?" I answer. He chuckles.

"Don give me dat crap! D'you forget who yo talkin to?! I'm a motherfucking teacher! Don't get carried away jus coz yo A class! Yo won't even leave a scratch on my Pokémon!"

He has a point. Nowadays, to get such a job as quarterback, a tremendous amount of skill is required. So I don't think a first year high school student could trouble him, no matter the rank. But still, I will give my all and fight fair.

"I'll still send one Pokémon at a time!"

"Suit yoself!" he shrugs. He takes a Poké Ball. "Aggron, mothafucka!" The steel Pokémon emits a roar, shaking the ground. Mr. Damian turns to the rest of the class. "All those who ain't fighting watch closely! This's how it's done!"

"Absol, full power!" Absol comes out, with no intention to hold back. "Absol, this opponent is worlds apart from the ones we usually face! Be as vicious as you can." Absol nods to that.

The battle starts: "Absol, Night Slash!" the move hits the fierce Pokémon viciously… Not. I used it to shake it up, but to not even budge an inch; I underestimated its defense power. Aggron has lots of it.

"Aggron, use Stone Edge!" the razor-shaped rocks head right for Absol.

"Counter with Shadow Claw!" He slashes all the stones away. But gets lots of scratches from doing so. He pants heavily. Guess the attacks are too powerful to counter, I can only dodge them, I guess.

"Iron head!"

"Dodge with Dig!" Absol gets underground before the impact.

"Ha! Dodgin's fo' pussies!" he scorns.

"You don't give me a lot of choices, teach!"

"Aggron, Iron Defense!" the Pokémon toughens. Absol makes an impact the instant after with the ground attack. It hits viciously… A little. Aggron barely budges.

"Ha! Your attack power ain't bad fo' a youngster! But mah Aggron's got da motherfucking defense!"

"Grrr! Absol, Shadow Claw!" I say, losing my cool. Almost nothing.

"Calm him down wit Iron Head!" Bam! Ouch! That's gotta hurt. Absol stumbles.

"Absol, quick, get a hold of yourself and use Superpower now!" He strikes Aggron viciously with everything he has… Aggron definitely took damage, but he barely backed down.

"Still got a whole lot left in da tank! Aggron, use Dragon Tail!"

I won't go down, not without a fight: "Absol, counter with Night Slash!" The two attacks collide. Once the smoke clears, Absol is out cold.

"See? I told ya! Yo wanna give up or continue?" He then turns to the rest of the class; they couldn't take their eyes off the confrontation. "Ya get it? In physical classes, to be successful, you gotta perfect an attack power that can break down any type o' defense! Dark boy here couldn't get the job done, so he lost!"

"Luxray, full power!" I send Luxray, pronto.

"Still up an' rarin' to go huh?!" He answers.

"Flame Fang!" The attack burns red hot! Aggron stands strong.

"Iron Head!" The move does decent damage. Luxray recoils.

"Ice Fang!" The attack is freezing cold. Aggron stands strong.

"Stone Edge!" Luxray barely dodges. His leg gets grazed by it.

"Thunder Fang!" The attack dishes out a shocking power. Aggron still stands strong.

"Stone Edge again!" Luxray cannot dodge. The pain on his leg prevents him to do so. Luxray pants, on the verge of fainting.

"Wild Charge!" Luxray unleashes all his power and electricity and charges headlong at Aggron. Aggron recoils.

"Grab his head! And Dragon Tail!" Luxray can't escape. The tail sends Luxray flying, he faints instantly.

"Your attack needs more work!"

"Fine then! I'll send my strongest Pokémon! Arcanine, full power!" Arcanine comes out, stronger than ever. He growls, emitting waves of heat.

"Looks like ya sent out yo main course!" remarks the coach.

"You got no idea! Arcanine, Flame Charge!" The flaming body clashes on Aggron's body violently. He falls to the ground.

"Get up! Drop him wit Stone Edge!" Once back on his feet, he executes the attack. With his speed now improved, Arcanine dodges the attack with ease. However, may he take an attack like Stone Edge with his typing at least once, he'd be done for. Better be careful.

"Flare Blitz! Maximum temperature!" I yell.

"Iron Head! Mothafucka!" He yells too.

The two Attacks clash violently. Both Pokémon recoil, greatly damaged.

"Close in with Extremespeed!"

"Dragon Tail!"

"Arcanine, jump!" With that command, Arcanine jumps over the tail attack. With all the momentum, he was just above Aggron's face. I grin; time to use my trump card!

"Arcanine, Close Combat!" A rapid, series of crushing blows could be heard from even my position. Aggron collapses instantly after. Is it over?

"Aggron, grab dat sucka's head!" Aggron gets up suddenly and grabs the unsuspecting Arcanine and maintains him in the air. Arcanine was unable to move. Aggron is breathing hard, he is nearing his limit. But his grip stayed firm on my Pokémon's head.

"Now, Dragon Tail!" The move propels Arcanine upwards. Lying on his back in mid-air, he's unable to fight back. I was getting ready to give him a command once he lands, but…

"Wrap it up wit Stone Edge!" The rocks cruelly bring Arcanine down. Arcanine tries to get up, but to no avail. He ultimately faints. It's over, I… Lost. While I stand there in disbelief, the coach gives a full restore to his Pokémon. He turns to the rest of the class.

"And that's what ya call a motherfucking good physical defense! Check out mah Aggron! He stood up to all those strong fuckin moves! Take good example of it!" Everyone nods in agreement. He comes to me. "You may've lost but, trust me when I tell ya, yer stronger than me when I was yo age." He says, trying to comfort me. Strangely enough, I'm not comforted at all. Guess that's because I got my ass handed to me by only one Pokémon. I go back to the group after putting Arcanine back to his Poké Ball.

"Now I'd like someone that has a Pokémon wit good defense ta face me!" says the coach to everyone.

Brock raises his hand, much to my surprise. But when it comes to defensive power, Brock has lots of it.

"I'll do it, sir." He adds.

"Good, put on yo dukes! Conkeldurr, mothafucka!" a Conkeldurr comes out.

"Go, Rhyperior!" Brock's Rhyperior comes out. Haven't seen it in a while.

"Let's do this! Conkeldurr, Rock Smash!"

"Endure it Rhyperior!" The rock Pokémon takes the move in the chest. It's almost unfazed.

"Now dat's wat I call defense!" Mr. Damian says with glee.

"Rhyperior, Hammer Arm!" The heavy fist clobbers Conkeldurr who almost falls due to the damage. "Keep it up with Stone Edge!" Adds Brock. The pointed rocks hit the fight type Pokémon hard. But it's hanging in there.

"Use Superpower!"

"Block it!" It stops Conkeldurr's powerful blow with both hands. But still backs down in doing so. But Rhyperior was still able to fight. "Now Rhyperior, use Rock Wrecker!" It then starts to form a frighteningly powerful rock in its hands. But surprisingly, instead of throwing it, it smashes it with a rare violence on Conkeldurr's face. It falls to the ground. Even with a type disadvantage, Rhyperior stands strong. It must be because of Solid Rock.

"Playtime's over Conkeldurr! Get up and dish out a Dynamic Punch!" Soon after, it springs on its feet and prepares to punch.

"Quick Rhyperior, Outrage!" The Pokémon energetically charges at Conkeldurr with bursting fury.

But Conkeldurr ultimately stops the attack with one hand by stopping Rhyperior's head and administers Dynamic Punch straight to its face. Rhyperior still stands, but he's not moving anymore. K.O, but still standing. Brock calls it back to its ball.

"Sir, I'll send one more." Announces Brock.

"Go ahead." Quietly answers the coach.

I already knew who it would be. As I thought, Onix came out, emitting a roar befitting of its gigantic size. I dueled Brock countless times, so I know that he sends it when he gets really serious.

"Bring it on! Conkeldurr, Dynamic Punch!"

"Onix, Protect!" The punch fails to get through the barrier.

"Rock Smash!"

"Use Harden now!" Conkeldurr does little damage.

"Now use Dig!" Onix gets underground. Conkeldurr looks frantically around. The stone Pokémon then resurfaces brutally, hitting the bull's eye. "Finish with Iron Tail!" shouts Brock.

"Block dat!" Mr. Damian yells. Conkeldurr stops the tail and holds it tight. "Now, Ice Punch!" The frozen fist spreads ice all over Onix's body.

"Onix, no!"

"Now send da Dynamic Punch!" Conkeldurr jumps up all the way to Onix's head and punches it at the jaw. A crunching sound could be heard at that moment. All the class watches in shock. "Now toss it up in the air and wrap it up wit Superpower!" Conkeldurr then lifts Onix and tosses it around like a ragdoll, Onix unable to do anything, wriggling because of the pain and confusion. Conkeldurr then jumps, grabbing Onix at the same time and violently smashing it on the ground. It was over, that was for damn sure. Brock stood there, speechless.

"Ya got good defense, I admit. But if yo wanna win, yo gotta have a defense that can withstand any attack, jus like mah Aggron here, OK?" Brock silently agrees. But suddenly, the coach starts shaking his head. "But dat won't do, I won't have the time to take on and teach everyone one by one! So I'm just gonna take y'all at once! Everyone, bring out each one of yo Pokémon!"

The class complies and they send out each one of their Pokémon. Aggron and Conkeldurr then take their positions.

"It's jus dat simple! I'll just come at y'all, and yo just have to use strong attacks and have a lotta good defenses if ya wanna make it through."

Almost everyone look intimidated, but the coach looks overjoyed.

"Now then, imma whoop all yo asses!"

Without our Pokémons, all Brock and I could do was watch, as a terrible, one sided slaughter took place. Red, that's gotta hurt!

(1 hour later)

The nurse's Audinos were literally spamming the Healing Pulse on all our Pokémon. When all my Pokémon are healed, I head out to the dorm with Brock. We stay quiet. That was quite the ass whooping we all took. But one thing was certain, even with today's events; I was bound to get stronger. When some classmates complained to the nurse about Mr. Damian, she retorted that while his teaching techniques are rough, they provided unmatchable results at the end of each year. The students Pokémon had literally overpowered physical capabilities. He is said to have raised the overall level of the school. Still, it feels weird, I haven't lost… Since back then. Guess I need to double the training, from tomorrow onwards. Hahaha!

**Neutral POV.**

Meanwhile, at the thugs' hideout, two people were discussing.

"Miss, we fought like hell, but we couldn't win against them! They were just too strong!" Says Rocky on his knees.

"Stop your blabbering, your excuses sicken me!" Rudely answers the other person.

"Especially that Tyler guy! He was a class A who took out 30 of our guys in one attack! We can't hope to defeat someone like that!" He continues, sweating like a Grumpig.

"Wait, what? Tyler Dark you say? My classmate?" she asks, perplexed.

"Y-yes!"

"I see. That is troublesome. Maybe I shouldn't have skipped class today."

"D-don't worry, we'll get him next time. We'll redeem ourselves so please g-"

"Shut up!" she interrupts. "You're an eyesore, you're useless now."

"N-no please! Just give me one more chance!" Rocky begs.

"You used up all of your chances! Garbodor, use Toxic!"

"No please Miss Roxie NOOOO!" The poison finally makes him quiet. "Ar-arrrr…" he agonizes squirming on the floor.

"Piece of trash! Well, I guess Roxie needs to take part of the action. *nasty cackle*"

**Enjoyed it? Then leave a review. Looks like Tyler will have his hands full. See you next time.**


	6. The birth of a rival and Tyler ascends

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**I'm back… Now get a load of this!**

**Neutral P.O.V**

October has started. It has been a week since Tyler's defeat to the coach. The latter was now holding back for most of the time in his class. The two never had a direct confrontation again. But surprisingly, the young man wasn't depressed about it at all. He doubled his training, with the command in mind, to be twice as powerful as before his match with Mr. Damian. However, in Tyler's opinion, the progress was far too meager. But this is not surprising, since getting 2 times more powerful within a week was an impossible task. But Tyler was still determined to literally 'ascend' to another whole new level. But he did not know how, he felt something was missing, but what? He had strong partners, strong teachers and he himself was strong, an A class, the best rank one could reach in a class of first years. The trainer felt like he would not get stronger if he did not find that `something'.

It's now the week-end, and Tyler and his friends were staying at school. In Victory High, you have the choice to go home or stay on weekends when you are on internship. A raging Pokémon was taking place on the empty playground.

"You're too slow! Boring Chick! With that speed, you can't lay a scratch on me!" Tyler screams with a grin.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP LAZY ASS! ALTARIA, DRAGON PULSE AGAIN, AGAIN AND AGAIN!" Skyna yells, responding to his taunt.

Arcanine was running, with Skyna's Altaria flying behind, chasing it. It was raining Dragon Pulses, but Arcanine was dodging them all. It was too fast, Tyler then changes his expression. He visibly wants to end the fight.

"Is that all you've got? Alright then, it's my turn. Arcanine, Outrage, now!"

"Not so fast! Altaria, Dragon Rush!"

But before it could trigger what was called a reaction. Arcanine was already tackling Altaria's abdomen with vast amounts of Dragon-like energy. It's over. Tyler laughs. "Mad Skills!"

"Hehehe! I've won! You know what that means!" Tyler stretches out his hand.

"Fine, fine! I'll buy you that drink." Skyna says, giving a coin to Tyler.

It turns out that this fight was for practice, and the winner had to treat the other to a drink. Tyler heads to a vending machine; he inserts the coin and gets his favorite drink: Total Freeze. It's a drink that is as cold as a direct Ice Beam in the throat. It wasn't appreciated by a lot of students here but the young trainer wouldn't trade it for any other. His favorite flavor was cherry. He returns with a look of bliss.

"I don't know how you manage to drink that, really." Says Skyna with a somewhat disgusted look.

"Come on; don't say that, it's actually good." Tyler answers between two gulps. "Here, try it." He tries to hand the bottle to her, but she pushes his hand away, blushing.

"You don't expect me to drink in that bottle, do you?! Get a clue, you insensitive perv!"

"What? Why? Come on, don't be so boring." Tyler insists with icicles forming around his mouth and chin.

"It's not about that! You idiot!" Skyna resists, still pushing away his hand.

"What the... Oh!" Tyler screams like he was struck by something. He then starts mocking her. "Oh no! He was about to give me an indirect kiss, how daring!" he says with a mocking girly voice. "Hey class rep, didn't know you were so chaste Hahaha! He finishes with his normal voice.

"You jerk!" she answers as she tries to slap him, but the boy dodges. They start arguing again. But…

*Poum*something seems to land a few meters from them. It was a Pokémon apparently; seemingly wild. They stop quarrelling and come take a closer look. It was a red little bird Pokémon.

"Awww, poor thing." The Flying type trainer says with sadness.

"Can you heal it?"

"There must be some medicine in the nurse's office. I'll be right back." She says while leaving in a huff. Tyler stands alone.

"Okay, I guess I can still take another Total Freeze with the leftover change." He sighs while heading back to the vending machine.

The drink comes out. Tyler opens the bottle and gets ready to gulp it down the hatch…

*thud* (What happened?) Tyler looks down. (Why is my drink spilled on the floor?) A moment of silence occurred. But a voice broke it.

"Hey, you! Where the hell were you looking?!" said the guy who bumped, he was a guy who looked the same age as Tyler, he was wearing dark blue jeans and a jean jacket of the same color, he had light brown spiky hair pointing to the back.

Tyler turned his head to the one responsible for the loss of his drink. He recognizes his classmate, Jack. It was the guy that impressed Tyler with his Electivire at the ranking exam. But Tyler stayed quiet.

"Oh, it's you. So? Are you gonna apologize or what?" Jack continues.

"…"

"Um, hello! You're listening, loser?"

"Cherry… It was…"

"What? Speak up! I can't hear you!"

"Cherry flavored… It was my favorite flavor… Spilled, on the ground…" Tyler says, containing himself.

"What are you saying? Oh!" He notices the spilled drink. "Well that's your own fault for bumping into me, you know? Plus, that was Total Freeze you were drinking. You actually drink that crap?"

"Excuse me? You bump into me, accuse me, berate my tastes and ask for an apology you owe me? Is that really it?"

"Hey, hold on! You make it sound like I am the bad guy! I spilled that crap for you! You should also thank me." Says Jack, indifferent.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Tyler snaps.

"Huh? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I WON THE CHANGE TO BUY THAT DRINK IN A FAIR AND SQUARE MATCH! YOU TOOK AWAY MY FAVORITE DRINK, I WON'T FORGIVE YOU! YOU WILL PAY!"

"Hey, don't piss me off! You wanna fight?!"

"You bet! Arcanine, burn him to ashes!" Arcanine comes out and charges at Jack.

"Electivire!" The Electric Pokémon comes out and blocks the path.

Both boys are riled up, looking at each other with deadly glares.

"Hold it!" says a voice. Skyna was standing between them, the bird Pokémon recuperating on her shoulder. Her Unfezant and Swellow were deployed. "As class rep, even on weekends, I won't allow this kind of violence. If you want to settle your problems, do it in a proper Pokémon battle!"

"Skyna! You…"

"Very well. I was getting bored of this senseless talking anyway." Jack says calmly. "Tyler… Top of the hill… In 1 hour." He leaves.

"Geez, I leave you for a few minutes, and there is already this kind of commotion." Skyna sighs while calling back her Pokémon.

"It's not my fault! He spilled my second Total Freeze. My favorite flavor at that… Gone… Forever…" Tyler answers with a dramatic voice.

"Oh really? *sigh* can't be helped. Here you go." She hands him some change.

"What? Really?! Thanks!" He says with a surprised smile.

"W-well don't get carried away! I just did that out of mercy, it's not like I wanted to help you out or anything." She retorts, blushing.

"Hum… By the way. How is this little guy on your shoulder?"

"Oh! He's much better now. As soon as he woke up, he went on my shoulder."

"What's his name?"

"I heard from my sister that they're called Fletchling. Don't you think he's cute?" She asks with a kind smile. Tyler is surprised by this sudden mood change.

(Wow. She does become gentler when Flying types are concerned.) Tyler approves and pets the little thing that looks happy for such kind treatment. Skyna then starts doing the same. The two laugh heartily. But suddenly, they gaze at each other with stupefaction when they notice the current good chemistry between them. They turn from each other almost immediately.

"Hum… So I'll be going. I still have to crush that jerk. You should probably go and let Fletchling rest some more." Tyler mumbles, breaking the silence.

"Y-yeah! Take your time. S-see you later." She answers hurriedly heading back to the dorm.

After almost an hour, having digested his Total Freeze, Tyler heads to the hill to face Jack. Victory High was in the middle of a residential area, at the bottom of a medium sized hill. The hill being at the back of the school, it was convenient for training and battling. Tyler arrives at the meeting point, a place with no trees and small grass here and there; he was perplexed.

(When I was about to face him earlier, my blood started boiling when he summoned his Pokémon. What exactly was that feeling? I may find out by fighting him again.)

Jack's entrance cut his thoughts.

"Here you are. At least you didn't chicken out." He says mockingly.

"For victory, respect and my bottle of Total Freeze, you'll bite the dust today. Now shut up and fight!"

"Fine then. It's a 3 on 3 battle. Go! Send your guy first!"

"Good! Absol, full power!" Absol is raring to go.

"Mienshao, fight on!" A Mienshao comes out.

Tyler then starts to get the same feeling as before. This boiling energy he never felt before when fighting someone.

"Absol, Swords Dance!" Absol sharpens viciously.

"Mienshao, Stone Edge!" It sends graciously sharp rocks at the Dark Pokémon.

"Dodge and use Night Slash!" Absol dodges and tries a vicious slash at his opponent but Mienshao avoids it.

"Hi-jump Kick!"

"Evade it, get behind and use Night Slash again." Absol does so and the Fight type takes vicious damage.

"Get a grip! Drain Punch now!" The attack was executed almost like an uppercut. Absol falls to the strong move.

"Get up and jump!" Absol does his best to get back up. It then jumps as high as it can. "Now Aerial Ace!" The merciless move knocks out the Mienshao viciously.

"Oh yeah?!" Jack asks, losing his cool progressively. He calls his Pokémon back.

"Yeah!" Tyler taunts.

"Magmortar, fight on!" The burning Pokémon appears.

"Absol, Night Slash, now!" Absol heads to the Fire type to execute the move.

"Flamethrower!" Magmortar sends a line of fire that the Dark type takes head-on. Although damaged greatly, Absol slashes it viciously. But the opponent still stands.

"Superpower!" Absol gives everything.

"Duck and use Focus Blast!" Magmortar lowers at the last moment and sends the sphere of concentrated energy straight in its abdomen. Absol is felled. The feeling inside Tyler is rising.

"You did well Absol. Luxray! Full Power!" Luxray comes out with lightning all over the body.

"Magmortar, Flamethrower!"

"Luxray, Thunderbolt!" The two moves clash, evenly matched.

"Focus Blast!" The energy sphere definitely hits Luxray. But when the smoke clears, he is not visible.

"Dig, now!" The super effective attack beats Magmortar to the ground.

"Use Fire Blast!" The star of fire consumes Luxray.

"Snap out of it! Use Thunder!" The thunderous move explodes on Magmortar.

"Finish it with Flamethrower!"

"Plow through it with Wild Charge!" Luxray breaks through the flames and hits Magmortar. Magmortar crumbles. The victory goes to Luxray… But Luxray suddenly falls too.

"Dang! The side effects of Wild Charge!"

"Hehehe! Guess we're even now! Let's switch to the main course!" says Jack.

Tyler then expresses surprise: Jack had a sadistic grin of excitement. Tyler was even more surprised to realize that he had the same expression on his face. He then finally understood: he knew what that feeling he had upon facing Jack was; he finally found what he was looking for.

"Arcanine, full power!"

"Electivire, fight on!"

"Fire Blast!"

"Thunder!" An off the charts powerful explosion followed the clash of these two moves. "It seems the best way to finish this is up close and personal! Continues Jack.

"I agree!"

"Thunder Punch!"

"Flame Charge!"

Tyler knew now what was lacking to ascend to new heights. It wasn't sparring partners, teachers or enemies. He needed a rival. Someone who could bring the best in him at each match. Someone he could not afford to lose to. Someone whose only bond with each other was the will to win at all costs. And for some reason, judging from his expression, Jack was feeling the same way. The two Pokémon were literally spamming Thunder Punch and Flame Charge. They were nearing their limit.

"I think it's time we put an end to this." Suggests Jack.

"Agreed. Arcanine, Flare Blitz!"

"Electivire, Wild Charge!"

The two headed to each other with their respective moves. The collision was terrible. With sparks and embers flying around, chaos was stirring at the top of the hill. At the aftermath of the shock, only one Pokémon was barely standing. Arcanine turned to its trainer with an expression of victory. Jack quietly calls back his Pokémon and lets himself fall to the ground.

"Hey Tyler, listen up. Sorry about your drink. I yield. You've earned my respect. But don't think that this is over. I will come back to fight you. You have the skills I've been looking for so long. It doesn't matter when, it doesn't matter where, and it doesn't matter how or why. The world, the universe or even existence itself can risk disappearing. I wouldn't care about any of it, as long as I get to fight you. Fighting someone like you is above everything else."

Tyler nods, as he was approving it, and leaves, seemingly muttering: "Mad Skills".

The week begins again. 3 first years are hanging around at an isolated part of the playground. Jimmy, Boris and Daniel were discussing happily. But then…

"Excuse me!" says someone, addressing them.

"Yes. Do you want something?" Asks Jimmy. It was a white haired girl with a Scolipede guitar.

"Yes I do! Roxie here has a plan to get to a certain someone, you see. And I need a few sacrifices to do that. So it would be nice if you could just help me with this… By just disappearing like the shits that you are!"

She reaches for a Poké Ball…

**Hope you liked! See you next time.**


	7. Roxie attacks

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**Neutral P.O.V**

Tyler was strolling. It was the break and he wanted to cool off. He was walking quietly, his hands in his pockets. But sensing it was almost time to return, Tyler enters the corridor to get back to his classroom. He sees a pink-white blur… What? On closer inspection, it turned out to be a nurse and an Audino running like a Tyranitar was chasing them. Tyler turned to see if anyone was behind them, no one was there.

(Did someone get hurt badly or something?)

He then saw her come back with colleagues from the direction they went with 3 stretchers. The 3 people were covered with bandages and a towel to cover them.

"Quick, get Antidotes! Get the Audinos ready!"

Tyler then froze at the sight of one of the personal effects of one of the wounded: Glasses. Those glasses seemed oddly familiar; a chill of worry went down Tyler's spine. He immediately stops one of the nurses.

"Wait a minute…"

"Their state is worrying! I don't have time to talk!"

"Wait, can you tell me at least their names and what happened to them?" Tyler insisted.

"Hum… Their names are Boris Janov, Daniel Marker and Jimmy Donald, I think…" It just confirmed his fears.

"Tell me what happened!" yelled Tyler, without any patience left after hearing that.

"I don't know, someone found them poisoned along with their Pokémon. It is clear it was done by a Poison Pokémon."

"Who?!"

"I don't know! Now please move! We got to treat them fast!" The nurse moved out in a hurry.

Tyler was standing there confused. Who could have done it? Rocky? One of his thugs? Impossible! Most of them were still punished and the others were powerless. Even if they attacked they would not cause such damage, besides, if it was one of them, they would simply knock out the Pokémons and attack them physically. But this type of aggression was way crueler then they could ever be. The damage was long and painful, as if it was to prolong their suffering. None of these thugs would ever be that sadistic. The aggressor was clearly someone far more powerful, and far more twisted. The perpetrator was powerful enough to beat all of them at once. Who could it be? A rank A classmate? An upperclassman? Was it someone alone? Was it a group? All those questions were swirling in Tyler's head. But for now, he headed to class, putting aside his doubts.

The bell finally rings. Having informed his friends, Tyler heads with them to the infirmary.

"You can't come inside, they are still unconscious!" Says the nurse.

"I'll make it short. I just need to ask something!" insists Tyler, trying to get past her blocking.

"No, you can't!" she answers, pushing him away.

"It's okay. Let them in." says a voice inside.

The nurse nods and lets everyone pass. Daniel was awake. He was the only one conscious. It looks like he took the least damage. Jimmy, on the other hand…

"Oh. You poor thing." Says Whitney, looking worried.

"I'll get straight to the point. Who did this to you?" asks Tyler, serious.

"I don't… Know… Happened… So fast… Only Jimmy… Saw clearly. But he… Didn't wake up yet… "Tyler clicks his tongue in frustration at the answer. "But… I know… It was one person." Adds Daniel, struggling to speak better.

"What exactly happened?"

"We were chatting, and then… Someone came and attacked us. We tried to defend but… I was defeated, poisoned and knocked out. My Magneton was not poisoned but it was knocked out along with me. All I know is that Jimmy took the most of the attacks, trying to… Defend us. I only heard the voice… Of a girl.

"A girl?"

"Yes, I couldn't identify her clearly… Sorry."

"Do you know why they would attack you?" Asks Brock.

"I… Have no idea… I don't understand!" He starts crying. "We thought our nightmare was over! That everything would be better! But instead… We end up like THIS? *cough* *cough* What have we possibly done to deserve this?! Are we condemned to be treated this way forever?! This time, I stood up like a man for my friends, but even with that, look at us! We got injured along with our Pokémon and left like this as if we were trash! What good is it if we can't win and gain respect after all the efforts we have done to improve?! Are we just shit? But even shit wouldn't get treated like thiiiiissss! *sob* *sob*."

Everyone in the room was just heartbroken. Tyler was suppressing his fury.

"How were you guys found?" Asks Skyna timidly.

"A girl named Roxie called us and told us she found them in that state." Says the nurse.

"Okay…" Tyler says quietly.

"RRRR GRRPH!" Daniel suddenly convulses.

"The poison's still acting! Everyone stabilize him!" 2 other nurses and an Audino bust in the room.

Tyler was already out of the room: "GRAAAAHHH! AAAAAHHH!" he was screaming in pure rage. He arrived in the lobby, looking frantically around.

"Is something wrong?" Asks a voice. Tyler turns around and sees a white haired girl, a head smaller than him. She was carrying a bass that looked like a Scolipede. Tyler knew her; she was a classmate of his. He even watched her fight at the ranking exam.

"Roxie! I was looking for you." Answers Tyler, trying to calm down.

"What is it? Do you need my help for something?" she asks, surprised.

"Yes, it's about this morning! Three pals got attacked and poisoned."

"Yes, I know, that was terrible!"

"Thank you for finding them. But do you know who did it?"

"I'm sorry, guess I've come too late. I didn't see anyone else. I'm really sorry." She says, gently apologizing.

"No, it isn't your fault. Damn! Now I have no way to find the culprit!"

"But…"

"?"

"I heard rumors about the sightings of a Poison Pokémon wandering around the abandoned building behind the school."

"Really?"

"I don't know. But it's worth checking it out. We may find a clue."

"Ok."

"Can I come with you?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Oh, believe me, it's nothing, hehehe." She mumbles, while Tyler goes ahead.

They reach the abandoned building.

"We're here." Says Tyler with a neutral expression.

"After you." Roxie teases.

Everything seems quiet. Tyler looks around. Nothing.

"Still nothing." Growls Tyler.

"Wait! I hear something." Roxie answers.

Tyler then notices it too. It sounded like a cry or scream that was choked. It came from the big room where Tyler and Jimmy fought the hoodlums last time. More importantly, the cry sounded human, and faint…

Tyler rushes in the place. He sees a Garbodor, but no trainer. In the Pokémon's arms, there is a human covered in poisonous sludge. It looked like… Rocky. Tyler showed no surprise.

"Koffing, Sludge Bomb!" says a familiar voice behind him. Tyler dodges just in the nick of time.

"Grrr! Why you!"

"Tell me! How did you realize? How did you know it was me?!" screams Roxie, now showing a psychotic grin.

"It's kind of obvious. First, you, a Poison-type specialist, are the one who found them. Plus, you must be high ranked, since the perpetrator managed to defeat 3 C class trainers without leaving evidence. Then, you lead me to a deserted place, me, the one searching for the culprit. My suspicion grew by the minute! The only reason I didn't attack you on the spot is because I was hoping to be wrong."

"Oh really? You are cleverer than I thought!" She smirks while sensually licking her bass. "But now you can't escape from me!"

"Why? Why the hell would you do that!?"

"Why?! You defeated that bunch of morons that I was controlling from the shadows. I only wrecked that trash trio because I wanted to get to you. A little payback, you could say. I was using this trash over there to control those punks." She continues while calling back her Garbodor, making Rocky fall to the ground like a cement bag. He wasn't moving anymore.

"Why would you do that to your own subordinate?"

"He failed me so I was punishing him for a few weeks. I have no use for such a piece of shit!"

"You're crazy, don't you know using Pokémon attacks on humans is forbidden?!"

"Do I look like I care?"

"Why do all of this?"

"I don't need to tell you."

"Then now you pay!"

"Show me what you got!" she smiles sadistically.

"Luxray!" Luxray comes out and lunges at Koffing.

"Clear Smog!"

"Dodge! Wild Charge now! Luxray dodges easily and rams the Pokémon with the devastating move.

"Will-O-Wisp!"

"Destroy it with Charge Beam!" The flames are destroyed by the electric move. "Now couple it with Thunder!" The thunder tower crashes on the Poison Pokémon.

"Humph! Use Gyro Ball!" Koffing snaps out of it and uses a spinning tackle attack.

"Counter with Giga Impact!" The collision occurs and both Pokémon are still there. Koffing does looks spent though.

"Hahaha! Sludge Bomb on him now!" The Poison attack is launched… But it is not directed at Luxray… But Tyler!

"What?!"

Tyler did not feel a thing. Was it because the attack was painless? Or because Luxray just went in between to protect its trainer? It was the latter. Luxray wasn't feeling well, the poison was merciless.

"Luxray! No!"

"Hahaha! You fight so clean it's disgusting! Now Koffing, Clear Smog!"

"Dodge! Use Charge Beam now, Luxray!" But the poison was disturbing its concentration. It took the full brunt of the attack.

"Now finish with Gyro Ball!" Luxray is felled by the attack.

"I'll make you pay! Absol-"

"Stop!" She interrupts him. "It should be clear to you by now. I am too strong for you!" She says with an almost reassuring kind smile. She calls back Koffing and walks nonchalantly towards Tyler. The latter shakes with rage.

"Stay away you wench! What do you think you're doing!?"

"I know you won't attack me with your Pokémon. Give up! We don't need to fight anymore… For now." She is now just in front of Tyler. She grabs both his shoulders.

"STAY B-"he stops talking as she wet kisses him out of nowhere. Enraged, he tries to punch her. But she avoids the punch and swiftly calls out her Scolipede lightning fast and Tyler takes a Poison Tail before he could even blink. He crashes on the nearby wall just aside Rocky. Tyler tries to get up but falls, he is now in a sitting position against the wall. Roxie comes up to him and rides on his lap. She kindly puts her hand on Tyler's cheek.

"Damn… You…" Tyler says difficultly.

"Oh that expression is so good on you." She taunts while smiling tenderly. "A face of rage, injustice and hatred. Oh! It's such a turn-on!" She continues while caressing his right cheek. She moves her hips up and down slightly.

"I'll… Make you pay…" He answers clenching his teeth.

"Oh! About that… I hope for your sake that you don't tell on me. You know, me poisoning your pals and all." She asks, trying to put on a cute smile.

"No, I want to make you pay myself. You won't mock me for long…" He warns. She licks his chin in response.

"Thanks, you are so sweet! But if the teachers or principal are still to learn about that, before I get expelled, lots of innocents might suffer before I leave. Who knows? They might get a little poisoning or two…" She then regains her psychotic expression. "Let's just say my exit would GET ROCK AND ROLL! KYAHAHAHAHAHA!" Her eyes were almost diverging as she said that.

Tyler glared at her in a killer mood. He didn't have any strength left to speak. Roxie gets up and finally leaves the building, satisfied.

Night is falling. Brock heads to his dorm. Skyna and Whitney were long gone. But before going in, he sees someone coming to him. It looks like a person is on his back. When he finally comes to the light, Brock recognizes his old friend, carrying Rocky. He was having enough trouble carrying himself, so carrying that gorilla of a man was making him almost crumble. He used his shirt to bandage something on him.

"Tyler! What happened to you!?"

"Roxie… Behind all this… Tried to stop her… Got damaged…" he struggles to answer.

"Roxie? Stay here I'll get some help!"

"NO! Leave her be… I'll make her… Pay! But you… Must keep quiet about it! Please… I beg you…"

"Fine. We'll talk about it later. But forget about that, we must treat you guys!"

"I'm okay… Took out… Most of the venom. But this guy… Is NOT okay. Must… Get treated immediately. You… take him… To the nurse's office.

"But…"

"I'll be ok. Do it NOW!" Tyler shouts with the last of his strength.

Brock nods and carries Rocky away. Tyler limps back to his room to fight another day...

The moon was shining brightly on the roof of the girls' dormitory. Roxie was talking on her cell phone.

"I'm done assessing the dangerous elements. What now? Lay a low profile until the tournament? Okay. I will carry my mission without fail. I never fail. But know this, I am expecting a handsome pay when this is over. Really? Good. Over…"

She finally hangs up.

"It seems thing will get interesting in the future! I can't wait. KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Her crazy laugh disappears into the night.

**Liked it? Then don't miss the next chapter the following week.**


	8. The Prelims

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**You know the drill, here we go!**

**Neutral P.O.V**

It has been about 2 months since Roxie's poison aggression on the boys and the day Tyler fell victim to her foul play. Since that day, Tyler shrouded himself in his obsession to improve, making him grow with his power. He borrowed Power Items from "The Coach" and trained intensively. His skill practically doubled, just to face Roxie's might. His friends increased in power as well, keeping the secrets of the two months old incident within them, to respect Tyler's demands. So the problem was classified by the principal and the student council as probably a bunch of rabid wild Pokémon that ran amok on the boys. Jimmy, Boris and Daniel never showed up to Tyler and friends since then. Rumor has it that they might train. On this matter, everybody was training on their side. Why? Simple! The prelims for the inter-school tournament are coming. When class A got the sheet to make the ones willing to participate to the tournament, Roxie signed first, fueling Tyler's will to win and also to get revenge…

The day of the prelims finally came…

Skyna just got out of her dorm building. She headed for the training grounds-

"BOO YA!" Screamed a certain voice.

"YAAARRGH!" The surprise took her over. She then recognized the voice behind her. He was wearing a new attire. It was a black jean jacket with black jeans and black sports shoes. A black cap was ornamenting his chestnut-colored hair and the ponytail of that long hair was placed at the back of the cap. An orange stripe was on each of the black clothes. He started wearing this as soon as he finished his training. He considered himself ascended. "You scared me, you idiot!" she finally talked back.

"My bad. Hey what's Fletchling doing on your shoulder?" He observed, pointing at her shoulder. "You kept him?"

"Well… After I saved him, he got attached to me. So I let him stay with me." She said, easing up. "I haven't shown this little guy to you all cause I was busy training him."

"Cool. You go well together." Tyler complemented. It was kind of out of character of him to say something like that.

"Th-thanks…" She answered quietly. Her face got red.

"Hey let's go! We're gonna be late!"

"Y-yeah!"

(W-what's with him? Saying such strange things all of a sudden…)

Brock and Whitney were waiting together at the spectator seats. Then Tyler and Skyna joined them.

"Ready?" asked Tyler.

"Yeah!" They answered together.

"What match is going on right now?" Skyna asked.

"That Jack is about to open the ceremony." Whitney answered. Tyler's blood started to boil.

"And I'm next." Added Brock.

Jack sent his Mienshao. His opponent sent out a Sandslash. The battle then started. Sandslash tried to use Dig but Mienshao prevents it from entering the ground with Fake Out. After flinching, the trainer orders Sandslash to attack directly with Slash but Mienshao graciously dodges the move before literally plowing the Sandslash with a terrible Hi-jump Kick. The terribly one-sided match was already over. The crowd cheered and clapped for Jack.

Brock then headed for the locker room for the participants. His friends wish him luck. A few minutes later, he came out on the battle field. His opponent first sent out a Hariyama. He answered by sending his Rhyperior. And so, the power battle began.

"Hariyama, Vital Throw!"

"Block it, Rhyperior!" Ordered Brock with his arms crossed. It blocked the move effortlessly. "Now, Rock Polish!" The fierce Pokémon polishes its body.

"Heavy Slam!"

"Dodge and use Rock Wrecker!" Rhyperior jet around the Fighting type and threw the almighty rock, hitting the Tauros's eye. Hariyama recoiled greatly. Brock still had his arms crossed.

"Close Combat!"

"Dodge and Dig!" Rhyperior dodged and got underground faster than the naked eye can see. He surfaced later, colliding with violence on his opponent. Hariyama looked really hurt.

"Now, Reversal!" this time, it finally landed a hit on Rhyperior… But it's completely unfazed. It shrugs off the damage.

"Hammer Arm!" Shouts Brock remaining with his arms crossed. Hariyama's head was flattened by the brutal attack. The match then ended.

"He really got better." Observed Tyler.

"I admit he did." Added Whitney. "Alright, my turn comes soon, I should go."

"Wait! I'm not too much after you. Let's go together. Come on Skyna!"

Skyna and Tyler followed Whitney to the locker room. They found Brock and congratulated him. Just a victory was enough to qualify; all they had to do was win against their opponent. After 2 matches, it was Whitney's turn. She headed to the battlefield.

"Sorry we cannot watch from here." Brock apologizes. "But we still root for you."

"It's okay, thanks!" Whitney smiled. She walked away to fight.

Tyler then got Arcanine out of his Poké Ball. He petted him and whispered instructions for his match soon. Skyna expressed surprise when she saw Whitney coming back after only 1 minute.

"Already?" She said.

"Well, I guess I got lucky." She answered clumsily. Her opponent was being carried away by doctors.

"It's… Too strong… Too scary… Out of nowhere… A Milt..."

"Don't worry. He was just scared to death." The doctor tried to reassure them. But they couldn't hear the cheers from the crowd anymore. They must have been mystified.

"Okay. So I'll be going!" Whitney announced with glee, leaving with Brock.

"Don't you think those 2 are a bit close lately?" asked Tyler to break the silence.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Anyway, have any of us fought Whitney seriously?"

"Good question, I haven't."

"Nobody knows how strong she really is." Said a voice, interrupting them. It was a black haired, glasses wearing young man. He was wearing a blue jacket and black trousers. A girl with a green hat was just behind him.

"Cheren! Bianca!" Tyler greeted them.

"Hi, Tyler Dark. Bianca and I plan to participate too."

"I don't think I'll win though, but I'll try my best." Bianca added.

They are Tyler's classmates. Tyler befriended them during those 2 months, he even trained with them. The connection was tightened between them even more since both of them seemed to share Tyler's love for Total Freeze.

Suddenly, Arcanine growled ferociously. The air got heavy. Tyler was about to ask Arcanine what was going on but he realized by himself when he saw the locker room entrance. She was here…

Without saying a word, she walked by everyone until she got just beside Tyler. It was her turn for the match. Everyone was quiet. Tyler glared at her like he always did every time she was close to him in class. He was also clenching his teeth hard enough to rupture his jaw.

"Don't forget Roxie. Payback is coming…" He mumbled. Hearing this, she turned to him and got her mouth close to his ear.

"Looking forward to it. You are the best target to slowly torment." She whispered before sensually but quickly licking his ear in a way that no one could see.

"Why you!" Tyler raged. He attempted a right hook but she blocked it with her bass.

"See you soon. HBLFFF!" She chuckled while suppressing a maniacal laugh. She then went for her match.

"I know I sense something is wrong with Roxie. But why is there so much hostility between you two?" Asked Cheren. It was normal: Except Tyler, Skyna, Brock and Whitney, no-one knew what Roxie did.

"It's a long story." Tyler explained, clenching his fist.

After a few minutes, Roxie came back. Tyler turned to face her and, hidden from everyone, her left hand grabbed and was caressing his crotch.

"The match ended rather quickly, my opponent was 'accidentally' poisoned along with his Pokémon. Just thought you would like to know about my 'exploits'. Now, good luck being able to WALK to your match." She said quietly before squeezing HARD Tyler's precious place. He crumbled to the ground.

"You… Bitch." He growled on the ground with a deadly glare towards her.

"Oops, sorry I reacted by instinct when I felt something hardening, Hahaha!" She laughed as she walked away.

"You're just… Spouting crap now!"

"Are you okay? Did she do something to you?" Skyna asked out of concern.

"Nah… I'm okay… Forget about that… It's your turn." He writhed in pain on the ground.

"Oh yeah. That's right! I'm going to use Fletchling!"

"And you're gonna be fine? " She frowned to those words.

"Don't get carried away just because you already beat me once or twice." She answered like she was insulted. "Mark my words Lazy Bum; I am much stronger than you think." With these words, she left. She looked really serious.

Cheren then spotted a small window behind a curtain that gives view on the battlefield. Tyler was getting up as the pain was subsiding. When he arrived at the window, the battle already started. Fletchling was up against a Steelix…

Steelix was spamming the Stone Edge attack. But the Flying type was easily dodging them, slithering through the air and the rocks. Steelix then tried to use Iron Tail to swat it away. But it kept missing. Skyna still didn't order Fletchling to attack. Having had enough, Steelix's trainer ordered it to use Double Edge. But it was useless, the little Pokémon easily avoided the massive body that crashed on the ground and recoiled with the damage. It was at that moment that Skyna ordered Fletchling to attack, using Flame Charge. The flaming body burst on the Steel type's skull, knocking it out. Seconds after her victory, she turned in the little window's direction. She then showed a kind, womanly gentle smile. However, her eyes weren't smiling at all. Tyler was speechless. He was intimidated and nervous, but also seduced and drawn by Skyna's particular expression. To him, at that moment, her smile was deadly, beautiful. Vanquishing such a giant with the frail very Pokémon that returned on her shoulder.

She then returned.

"Good luck! I'll watch you from the stands." She said while leaving.

Effectively, it was now Tyler's time. No, rather it IS Tyler's time. Having confidence in his Arcanine and his increase in power, he goes to the battlefield…

**Tyler's P.O.V**

Let's do this. I've seen enough fights to get my blood pumping. When I enter the battlefield of the training grounds, followed by Arcanine, the crowd that came to watch the prelims starts going crazy with excitement. I see Jack all the way up. I also spot Brock, Whitney and Boring Chick. I raise my fist as a sign of confidence and the crowd cheers even louder. I hope too that that bitch is watching.

My opponent makes his entrance. He sends a Seismitoad. Arcanine gets into position by himself. The battle finally begins.

"Seismitoad, Earth Power!" The Pokémon rends the ground on Arcanine. But my buddy looks unaffected. I put my hands in my pockets.

"Arcanine, use Flare Blitz when I give the signal." He nods to my command.

"Use Rock Slide!"

"Keep standing still!" The rocks land on him but he shakes his head to push them around.

"Hydro Pump, now!"

"Endure it." I order, still with my hands in my pockets. Arcanine stays immobile when he takes the drenching water pillar. Not only he still looks fine after the attack, but he just shakes off the water on him like he just took a bath. Looks like my training paid off. If even a Pokémon with a type advantage is no match for mine, I really am on another level then. Then I guess I should nip this fight in the bud. "Arcanine, Flare Blitz, now!" He gets moving with the fiery attack towards his opponent.

"Seismitoad, Hyper Beam!" Arcanine plows through the laser and collides with the Water type Pokémon, instantly knocking it out.

The crowd is silent. I decide to break the silence by getting my hands out of my pockets and yell: "MAD SKILLS!" After 5 seconds of more silence, the crowd starts clapping, cheering and chanting my name. I will probably end up having a few fans Hahaha…

After Cheren was done massacring that Delcatty with his Haxorus, we all headed to the cafeteria to have lunch, leaving Bianca to fight alone. We have no doubts that she'll qualify. She may be clumsy, but she still became A class. After we finished eating, Bianca joins us.

"Ah! Bianca! Now I guess we're all qualified!" I say, rejoicing.

"Well… About that…"

"Is something wrong?" Skyna asks.

"Um… How should I put it…?"

"Did you win?" Cheren questions her bluntly.

"Well… I… Goofed and I… Um, well… Lost." She says, embarrassed.

We all sigh with disappointment.

"It's okay. I'll do better next time! And I'll come to root for you all. I'm sorry."

"Bah, don't sweat it. Just qualify next year alright?" I reply.

"Okay. You probably already know this, but The Coach told me to tell you that you are one of the ten representatives of Victory High for this year's tournament." She announces.

We then share a drink in the afternoon to celebrate the event. I took Total Freeze of course. Oh, man this drink is godly!

When night came, in the room in our dorm, I speak to Brock.

"Hey Brock. Think you can win?"

"I try to keep my confidence up to think I can. I learned so much in that school, I might as well use that knowledge to pull it off. What about you?"

"I plan to win. I plan to get back at 'her'. And I can also show to the other schools what Victory High is all about. There is but one little thing left to take care of."

"What is that?"

"In two weeks the tournament will begin and before that, I wanna test my progress on someone. I want a rematch against The Coach."

"Ha! Good luck with that." He smirks…

**Neutral P.O.V**

During that time, Roxie was at the school entrance. She seems to be discussing with someone.

"You fared well, Miss Roxie. I came to deliver you an advance on your bonus. You shall get the rest if you manage to complete your task at a hundred percent."

"Who the hell do you think I am? Keep one thing in mind: Roxie never fails!"

"I do not doubt your abilities, of course. Since you are always so eager to put them on display. But there is one person that worries me that you talked about in your reports. I suspect he may be a hindrance to the success of our plot."

"If you're talking about Dark, don't sweat it. He can't even be called a threat. I kept him active for the sole reason of seeing his suffering. His personality is the one of the people I love to torture the most. He will be dealt with in due time." Hearing that, Roxie's interlocutor looked a bit puzzled.

"Very well, I shall now head back to my place of residence in anticipation of the tournament. I wish you good luck for the rest." He finally answers before leaving.

"This tournament will get even more interesting. Now I wonder how many people I can poison in it… Kyahahahaha!" She laughs scarily. "And as for you, Tyler…" She then says, while licking her left hand. "Please show me an interesting face of pain when I'll poison EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR! KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Unable to contain her sinister laugh, her eyes diverging and mouth wide open, she takes her madness into the night.

**How was it? See you next week for another one!**


	9. Tyler vs The Coach, rematch

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Pokémon.**

**Ready? Let's get it on!**

**Neutral P.O.V**

It was cold. December was kicking in. Snow had fallen last night. It was still fresh on the ground. Today is a week after the prelims, and the tournament starts next week. It's noon break. Everyone is having fun or chatting on the playground. Joe Damian gets out of the teacher's room and goes to the playground. People call him "The Coach". He was going out for a walk. He really was standing out in the winter, wearing his tank top, jeans and boots. He didn't feel the cold apparently, saying that "being cold's for pussies". He was really impressive and intimidating so a lot of students fear and respect him. Most of them turn their gaze towards him as he walks in the middle of the playground. He stops for a moment to breathe the fresh air. And a Night Slash comes at him out of nowhere…

He turns to see an Absol and a familiar trainer behind it. The vicious Night Slash attack made a mark on the snowy ground.

"You didn't even try to dodge? How did you know I didn't really plan on attacking you?" The trainer asks with a smile.

"I didn't know dat. I already told ya that dodgin's fo pussies! Still, yo must have a death wish to attack me!" He answers somewhat calmly.

"I just came to challenge you again! A Pokémon battle! You and me!" He declares.

"So yo want another ass whoopin? But we're not in class so no."

"I wanna challenge you again before that tournament! Accept my challenge like a man, teach!" The young trainer screamed in desperation. Veins started to pop on The Coach's skull. Did the trainer step on a landmine?

"Like a man, huh? Yo want it like dat? Imma gonna get you then! Put up yo dukes, Dark boy!" He shouts, ready to fight.

"Hey look! It's Tyler Dark! He's going to fight The Coach?" says a voice suddenly.

"What?! Tyler Dark, you say? The Arcanine Boy? The Mad Skills man? For real?" Comes from another voice in the background.

"He really plans to fight The Coach? The indestructible master of Physical attacks? The living titan?! We gotta see that!" And so, with those words, uncountable students from everywhere and any grade assembled around the two, forming a safe square. Those who were in the buildings were watching from the windows.

"It seems Victory High really wants to see that. Well, let's give them what they want." Tyler suggests.

"Hey guys! Yo wanna see an ass kicking? You'll get yo ass kicking!" Mr. Damian yells fired up. He looks at Tyler. "We can use as many as we want; the match will last till I had enough, alright?"

"Fine with me. Full power, Absol!" Absol jumps from behind Tyler and is ready to fight.

"Hehehe! Same old, same old. Aggron, mothafucka!" The powerful Pokémon is out with a ground shaking roar. The battle begins.

"Iron Defense!" Aggron toughens up.

"Swords Dance!" Absol sharpens viciously.

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"Fuckin Iron Head." The rough head is about to smash Absol.

"Jump! Use Night Slash!" It dodges by jumping and slashes Aggron. It falls to the ground because of a vicious critical hit.

"Get up! Stone Edge!" It gets up immediately, not greatly damaged. Aggron launches the sharp stones.

"Destroy them with Night Slash!" Absol deletes each and every of the rocks with vicious cleanness.

"Not bad! You're better than last time! Dis gon be fun!"

"You've seen nothing yet." Tyler smirks.

"But I'm afraid imma wrap this up! Aggron, Iron Head!" The move connects. Absol stumbles but is still fine.

"You're fine, Absol? That's good. Prepare to Dig!"

"Oh no ya don't! Stone Edge!" The attack hits before Absol could react. "Now finish wit Dragon Tail!" Absol falls to the ground. "It's over, mah boy."

"Are you sure Coach?" At these words, Absol gets up. Still relatively fine.

"Yo made a lot of progress, I like dat." The Coach says in respect. The students clap.

"Now I turn things around. READY?!"

"Bring it home momma!"

"Dig!" Absol hides immediately underground.

"Come at me!" Absol surfaces and viciously sends Aggron flying.

"Superpower!"

"Dragon Tail!" The two moves were about to connect but Absol leaps above the tail and strikes with the devastating blow. Aggron falls to the ground. But he gets up a few seconds afterwards; however, it looks like it could faint at any moment. Absol looked also weakened due to administrating such a powerful move. The next seconds will determine the outcome of the battle between the two Pokémon.

"Let's end dis like men, Dark boy!"

"I agree, Coach!" Tyler nods.

"Iron Head, motherfucker!"

"Night Slash now!" The two Pokémon run in each other's direction. They clash… Viciously! When the smoke of the aftermath clears, only one stands. Absol turns its head and smiles to Tyler. Aggron ultimately fainted.

*Chatter chatter* everyone watching couldn't believe that one of The Coach's Pokémon could faint.

"Nice Job, mah boy!" says Mr. Damian. "Now try dis on for size!" He sends an Ursaring. "Now, try that again mothafucka! Try your attacks again! I dare yo!" It looked even more dangerous than that Aggron.

"Absol, you're up for another round?" Tyler says that but Absol was barely standing… But then the Coach calls back both Pokémon. Everyone is shocked.

"Dat's enough fo now. Go back to class." He says.

"Why? It was getting fun!"

"Yeah, but I said that we fight till I had enough. And class is restarting anyway." Tyler lowers his head in disappointment hearing that. "But no worries yo'll get yo ass kickin soon enough." He then walks away. Everyone start to disperse. But Tyler raises his arms and shouts, like he wanted to give them their time's worth: "Mad Skills!"

To that, everyone cheer for Tyler and leave. He goes back in the building for his special class. He finds Brock on the way.

"Hey Tyler! You did a good job back there." He praises.

"You were watching?"

"Who wasn't? We were watching from the windows. Whitney was ecstatic, but she was a bit down when the battle stopped though. And Skyna shouted something like "I won't lose to this lazy bum" or something like that."

"I see." Tyler answers with a light smile.

"Shall we go?"

And so, they head for class…

Somewhere among the crowd that gathered, Jack watched the fight. Thus when night came, he said to himself, in his room: "Good job, Dark! You aren't lazy when it comes to training. Get stronger and I'll do the same. Because the stronger you are, the more I want to destroy you." After saying this, he finally falls asleep, a sadistic smile on his face.

And hidden behind a door, a girl was also watching that fight: "Not bad, Tyler. But too bad for you, because it doesn't matter how strong you get, you can't defeat me, sweet dick! And you can't beat ANYONE ELSE KYAHAHAHAHA!" Roxie's crazy laugh resonates in her room.

Anyway, only a week was remaining till the tournament…

**Hope you liked! Look out for bonus chapter in two days. Until next time.**


	10. Bonus Chapter

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Pokémon. **

**Before the inter-school tournament that starts next week, here is a bonus chapter, with looks on the other characters. Let's go…**

**Neutral P.O.V**

Only two days were remaining before the inter-school tournament.

It was the afternoon of Saturday. Little noises could be heard in the school basement. On a closer look inside, it looked like… Pokémon attacks!

"Aqua Tail, Azumarill!" says a voice. The Magneton takes damage from the attack and falls to the ground.

"Bibarel, Take Down!" says another voice. But Bibarel is blocked by Azumarill.

"Is that all you got, Daniel? Come on, Boris, you can do better! Get serious, both of you!"

"Come on Jimmy, you're working us like slaves, we should get a break." Whines Daniel.

"It's useless! We can't keep up at this intensity." Boris pants.

"Come on! Have some faith! Let's keep going" Jimmy insists.

"Are you even sure that we'll get what we want?" Boris asks.

"Don't worry guys. Soon, very soon, we shall accomplish our goals. So have confidence and resume the practice."

At these words, the boys started battling again…

**Skyna's P.O.V**

Just two days left. I better step it up. I'll lose to no one, even if I have to go through that lazy bum! As class rep, it's my duty to display Victory High's might. But instead of focusing on that, right now I better focus on this fight…

"Swellow, dodge!" My Pokémon barely dodges a Psybeam attack.

"Did you space out or something?" Bianca asks me.

"N-no, I'm fine. Let's keep going!" I answer.

"Then Musharna, Psybeam again!"

"Dodge again and use Return!" It dodges and plows the pink Pokémon who faints without knowing what hit it.

"Nooo." Bianca looks dejected. "I lost, but you're really strong. Too bad I can't be as strong as you guys."

"Don't say things like that. I'm sure you'll improve in due time."

"Hee hee, thanks for the encouragement, Skyna." She giggles.

Cheren then comes behind Bianca and drags her away.

"EEEEHHH! Cheren what are you doing!?" She shouts flailing her arms around.

"Well, if you want to gain strength, it's not by slacking off giving in to flattery that you'll get it. So it's more training time." He answers unperturbed by her complaints.

"Cheren you JEEEERRRKK!"

They both disappear from the playground, leaving me alone, not knowing what to say about that.

"Damn this Cheren" I hear a voice behind me. "I bet he taps dat ass all the time! I'm jealous!" I turn and see Tyler. Brock was beside him.

"Let's not jump to conclusions." Brock answers to him. "They may be childhood friends, but it's unlikely that they're dating."

"Why you!" I hold back my rage.

"Oh! Boring Chick! Is something wrong?"

"SHUT UP LAZY BUM, I'M SKYNA! GET OUTTA HERE" At my words of rage, they run away, laughing.

Really, what's wrong with them, geez. I hope my sis who comes to watch me at the tournament won't get to meet that guy. Time to go, I'm beat…

**Neutral P.O.V**

Evening is coming little by little. In a park situated in the residential area the school was in, Jack is taking a stroll. He walks relaxingly until he reaches a Magikarp-shaped fountain. Collecting his thoughts, he still has enough awareness to send out his Electivire in a split second to block the incoming Shadow Ball. About 15 thugs with shaved heads dressed in leather and chain come out of the shadows. Jack is not impressed.

"Hey! Yer one of the contestants from Victory High fer da tournament, right?" Says one of the thugs appearing to be their leader.

"… What about it?" Jack calmly answers.

"We're da underlings of our powerful first year bosses from Rock academy! We don't liek competition so we're here ta get rid of ya! So our guys have better chance ta win!" He rudely answers.

"Shut up. You want me, come at me." Jack cuts coldly.

"Who do ya tink you are?! Get'im!" The other thugs obey and send out a whole pack of Raticate and Poochyena. They encircle Jack and his Pokémon.

Jack opens his arms: "Take your best shot."

The Raticates try to bite Electivire while Poochyenas attempt to shower it with Shadow Balls. But Electivire dodges quite easily the combined attacks.

"Thunderbolt, now." Half of the delinquents Pokémon are swatted by the attack. "Is that all you got?" Jack says, bored.

Irritated by the provocation, the leader sends out his own Pokémon: Crawdaunt.

"Crawdaunt, use Crabhammer!" It lands a direct hit on Electivire's gut. But no visible damage. The difference in power… Was too great.

"Hmph, time to end this joke of a fight. Electivire, Discharge." He orders, with complete composure. The attack blows away all the Pokémon that were sent.

Electivire walks up to the disarmed thugs and stares at them intensely. Realizing who they were dealing with, the thugs got scared out of their wits. They start running in a panic, yelling gibberish, with tears in their eyes and mucus squirting from their nose. Jack looked indifferent to this and walked away, calling back his Pokémon.

(When I faced those small fries, I felt nothing. It was boring, unsatisfying. I didn't feel any thrill. Unlike the time when I fight strong opponents. Tyler in particular. But it's all about to change, at this tournament; I will feel that thrill again. Patience…)

After that long thinking, Jack goes back to the school grounds.

**Tyler's P.O.V**

"Brock, Cheren, it's time to do this. We will infiltrate and discover the secret. But remember, this is about neither delinquency nor perverseness. In the place we're heading lies the dream of any man. It may get dangerous and one or all of us may get caught but with what we might see, there shall be no regret." Brock and Cheren clap at my words.

"I know you kinda forced me into this. But I have to admit, you guys are convincing. It won't be so bad." Cheren declares.

"I haven't done things like this since middle school, I suppose I've calmed down. But doing this… I feel reborn. Are you guys ready to start the mission?" Brock seems unusually excited.

"Totally! So tonight, we will go to the girls' dorm's shower-bath area. Geez, not only they each have showers in their dorm rooms, but also a big area where the whole dorm can bathe unlike us boys. I happened to overhear Whitney talking to Skyna and Bianca about going to the bath later in the evening. It should be in about 10 minutes."

They nod.

"Say guys. You prefer Boobs or Asses?" I ask. "I prefer boobs. I mean, did you see Skyna or Whitney? They got such a nice rack; I just get hooked to it."

"Amen to that." Brock replies.

"And you Cheren. You agree to my sacred words, right? You prefer boobs right?"

"…"

"Tyler, maybe Cheren is…"

"No, you think? Could it be that you're…"

"… *nods*"

"AN ASS MAN?!" Brock and I shout together in shock.

"It makes sense now that I think of it. Who wouldn't be an ass man when you're childhood friends with Bianca?" I conclude.

"Don't worry. We respect your tastes." Brock says reassuringly.

"… Can we just get going?" Cheren asks, seemingly embarrassed.

"OK, let's go!"

A few moments later, Rhyperior uses Dig and we land in the little cabin that is used to store the stuff to clean the baths next to the big shower-bath area. Only a door is separating us from paradise. We open it slightly, just so we can all see what's inside. Only Whitney, Skyna, and Bianca were there. We were then breath taken. I see Skyna getting out of the shower; she heads to the big bath. The water drops are dripping of her pure white skin. Her pink nipples on her bouncing boobs are in my view, the orange wet hair covering part of it. She gets in the bath. Damn, she's hot! I may find her boring with her sermons but she's got the body, that's for damn sure!

Whitney and Bianca follow her to the bath. Whitney's rack is unable to be jealous of Skyna's and Bianca's ass increases my arousal, I'd tap that… Seriously. On this matter, I wonder how the others are doing. I look down and I see Brock with a dumb smile on his face. And Cheren is drooling behind his glasses. Then, the girls start talking.

"Hmmm, I can't wait till the tournament!" Whitney says, excited.

"I can't wait either. I can finally honor my school and with some luck, teach that lazy bum a lesson!" She replies while turning the bath's heat up.

"*giggle* You always seem to talk about Tyler, could it be that you have a crush on him?" Teases Whitney.

"N-no! How can I like such a rude, slacking jerk? I-I don't…" She says that, completely red and flustered. With a quiet tone. Wow, she can be cute when she tries, I thought at that time.

"And what about you, Bianca? What's your relationship with Cheren? You two seem so close." Whitney points with her eyes glowing with light. Cheren suddenly seems piqued with interest.

"We w-we are just childhood friends. That's all. And I'm sure he thinks the same." Bianca answers timidly. Cheren looks serious now.

"Oh come on! I'm sure you'll seduce him easily with these." She grabs her breasts playfully.

"N-no. W-what are you doing?"

"But I think this cute ass is your best asset." She starts groping her ass now. It's quite a sight for us.

"And you, Skyna! Let's check out your Tyler-seducing assets. Mwahahahahahahaha!" Skyna starts backing off.

"But before Whitney reaches her, someone comes out of the showers. When all of us turned in that direction, we realized it was Roxie. What is that bitch doing here?

"Why are you here, Roxie?" Whitney asks.

"I just felt like refreshing myself." She replies coldly.

"I'll say it to you straight; you won't get away with what you've done last time."

"And you'll pay for what you did to the boys… And Tyler." Skyna adds.

"Wh-what are you all talking about?" Bianca asks, unaware of any of the events.

"Whatever. I'm off." She says before showing that sadistic expression I hate so much. "Before the competition starts, I think I'll go taste a damp slimy late-night snack." She says that before she leaves. I didn't know the meaning of those words yet.

"G-good luck Roxie!" Says Bianca as Roxie leaves. It's not her fault, really. She just doesn't know any better.

Finished with their bath, the girls prepare to leave. We should do the same. It's almost Midnight.

**Neutral P.O.V**

Meanwhile, The Coach is watching the baths from a nearby window. He was patrolling, but got distracted by the view.

(Dayum, dem boobs and dat ass! In mah time, we didn't have such fine girlz! Dayum!) He thought to himself.

As for Tyler and his friends, glad of the magnificence of what they witnessed, Brofisted to each other. And left to their room satisfied. They needed to rest, really…

The inter-school tournament is tomorrow…

**Next week, the tournament finally starts. If you enjoyed, stay tuned for more.**


	11. First round Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Pokémon.**

**Here I am with another chapter. And this is the one that marks the start of the tournament. Enjoy yourselves.**

**Neutral P.O.V**

It's about 6 AM. The sun rays of Monday morning start to shine through Tyler's window. It wasn't long now until the inter-school tournament begins. He must get up at 8 and prepare to get to the city's battle dome before 10. But right now, his sleep seems somewhat disturbed. He is only half awake and can't quite grasp the difference between dream and reality yet. But he is conscious enough to realize he feels something grabbing him. He is still too tired to move yet. The grabbing feeling comes from inside the blanket he's enveloped in, down at the body level. Then, he starts to feel something damp grabbing him somewhere and the damp thing begins to move. Being half awake, Tyler can't identify where he is grabbed or what grabs him and what that feeling of suction is. After long minutes, the damp feeling suddenly gets to feel wet like something splattered. But in seconds, the damp thing makes the wet feeling disappear. A drinking sound scarcely reaches Tyler's ears. After that, he finally musters enough strength to raise his head to check what's going on; he only gets to see a shadow leaving his room quickly. Too tired to think, he falls back to sleep immediately…

He wakes up again at about 8 AM when his roommate Brock shakes him out of Dreamland.

"Let's get ready. Or we'll miss the bus."

"Nngh… Yeah…"

After getting dressed and eating breakfast, the two leave their quarters. They are joined by Cheren.

"So this is it. Let's honor all the first years of our school. May the best trainer win." He says.

"I agree." Brock answers.

"Ditto." Tyler Adds.

They get to the bus stop. They are joined by Whitney, Skyna and Bianca.

"It's gonna be fun!" Whitney shouts with glee.

"Hmph. You're here already." Skyna grumbles.

"I… I came to cheer all of you on." Bianca adds. Cheren then shows a light smile.

The bus arrives. Everyone get quiet and hop in. It was a quiet ride; maybe because of stress. When the gang left the bus, they were pumped. The battle dome was visible from where they disembarked but it required at least 5 minutes to get there on foot. There is a pedestrian street that leads to the stadium. But it looks pretty packed with people. Tyler and his friends then head for the place. But after a few seconds, Tyler loses sight of everyone. He concludes they must have mixed with the crowd.

(Oh well, might as well head over there regardless.)

An arm grabs his own suddenly. Tyler then realizes it's Skyna.

"What are you doing grabbing me like that? Do you realize we look like a couple right now?" Tyler asks, perplexed.

"Sh-shut up! It's just that I lost everybody in the crowd and I just happened to find you. I'm holding onto you because I don't feel like getting lost. I'm not doing this because I enjoy this or anything!" She says red as a Blaziken.

At these words, she softly rests her head on Tyler's shoulder. They walk arm in arm for a while among the pack of people. He looks at her by the corner of the eye.

(I must hallucinate again. Cause she looks so cute right now.)

Effectively, she was cute. She was wearing a cyan T-shirt tied up at the bottom, which was revealing her bellybutton, she was also wearing denim shorts, putting her silky smooth thighs on display. And the sweet smell of shampoo from her orange hair comes to caress Tyler's nostrils. Quiet as a Pichu, Skyna remains silent with a tint of blush. But then, the crowd agitates and the two bump into a few people. When it calms down, Tyler realizes that he lost Skyna again. *sigh*

Suddenly, his arm is grabbed again.

"Oh there you are. I thought you were lost again." Says Tyler without turning around.

"How nice of you to worry about me." Unfamiliar to the voice, Tyler turns to see… Roxie. He tries to shake her off his arm, but she holds on.

"You again! What do you want, you damn hoe?" Asks Tyler, unhappy to see her.

"Calm down. I just came to tell you a few things." She says in a calm tone of voice.

"What could you want with me!? I seek to smash you in case you forgotten."

"Haha! I know, but it doesn't matter what you do. You can't beat me. And neither you nor your friends have any chance to win that tournament. What will happen there goes over your head." She states with an expression of temptress.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't need to know. You'll find out soon enough. Oh! And by the way…"

"?"

"I want to thank you for this morning. It was delicious." She says while sensually passing her tongue on her lips.

"What?"

"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten. I took the liberty of getting into your room to taste a sample of your 'meat'."

Tyler then recalls what she said the other night at the baths. And those weird feelings he had this morning. When he realizes what has transpired, Tyler turns to Roxie to punch her lights out, but she's already gone, hiding among the people.

(DAMN! That bitch! I'll destroy her for sure! She gave ME a fellat… Grrr! I'm done playing around!)

He hurries through the crowd and spots Skyna's face. He rushes to her.

"Ha! Found you, Skyna! I thought I lost you!"

"Huh? Did you say Skyna?" She answers.

"What? Wait a second." On closer look, even though the girl has about the same face, her hair was red and arranged in an oval bun over her head while Skyna's hair is down. She was wearing a blue pilot suit. She was slightly taller than Tyler.

"I'm sorry, young man. But I think you have the wrong person."

"I'm sorry. But you looked like a classmate of mine."

"Tee hee! Don't worry, I understand." The woman laughs cutely. "Are you headed for the battle dome?"

"Yeah. I'm Tyler, a contestant."

"Oh! How cool! I came to cheer someone on."

"I see."

"How about we go together?"

"I'm alright with it. I'm headed there anyway."

"Marvelous! Let me hold your elbow so I don't get lost with this entire crowd."

And so, they left for the dome together.

(Damn she's hot! Maybe I should try flirting with her.)

They finally get in front of the battle dome; all the people are converging to the entrance.

"You are so sweet to help me get here; I don't know how to thank you. It's so hard to find your way when you're not flying."

"Well, I might think of a way for you to thank me." Tyler says with a perverted smile on his face.

"What? A kiss, maybe?" The girl says teasingly, putting her mouth in a kiss shape.

"Well… Don't mind if I take the offer." Answers Tyler before closing on the girl.

But the kiss tentative is broken by a kick out of nowhere. Tyler blocks it out of reflex. The kicker was Skyna.

"I lose you in the crowd and the moment I find you, you try to make out with my sister!?" She screams.

"But she… Wait what? Sister? She's your sister?" Tyler asks, bewildered.

"Oh! So you know each other? I'm sorry Skyna; I didn't mean to steal your boyfriend." The older girl calmly says.

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" She denies.

"Hum… Who is she, Skyna?"

"Hmph! This is Skyla, my older sister. Anyway sis, how could you let him kiss you? You're 20!"

"Oh! I didn't know. Plus, it was just going to be a simple kiss. Why do you have to always be so strict?"

"Are you shota or something?! As for you Tyler, I won't allow any moral misconduct as long as I'm class rep!" She points.

"Fine, fine I'll go inside the dome. You better soon do the same." Tyler replies before leaving dejected.

(Damn! I almost had her! Why must Boring Chick get in my way?!)

30 minutes later, all Tyler's friends were reassembled in one of the locker rooms. Jack and Roxie were present too. The coach was present as the first year teacher for the 10 contestants of Victory High. Bianca was there as the manager and to distribute Revives and Potions. But the coach is getting impatient.

"Wat are they doin?! It's almost time fo' da sorting results!"

"Who are you talking about, coach?" Bianca asks.

"I'm talking' bout dem 3 late jackasses!"

3 boys then enter in the locker room. Brock, Whitney and Skyna look surprised as they enter. Tyler grins. Jimmy, Boris and Daniel have arrived.

"Sorry to be late, sir." Jimmy apologizes.

"How? How are you here?" Brock asks in surprise.

"It's him! He is the one who beat me to qualify!" Bianca points. Tyler whistles in respect. Everyone else (except Roxie) nod in understanding.

Jimmy throws a thunderous glare at Roxie, but she doesn't seem to care. Everyone turn to the little screen on the wall. The sorting results are out. Cheren is in group 1, Tyler is in group 2, Whitney is in group 3, Skyna in group 4, Brock and Jimmy in 5, Jack shares group 6 with Daniel while Boris occupies group 7. Roxie is in group number 8.

The rules are kind of simple: Each person in a group of 4 must win 2 or 3 victories to qualify for the second round. The matches in the first round are with only one Pokémon but from the second round, the number is to expand.

Being from group 1, Cheren is the one who is going to do the tournament opening battle.

"Good luck, Cheren. I'm rooting for you." Bianca says with a bright smile. This warms up Cheren's heart, who leaves with a happy look.

Everybody turn their attention to the screen to watch Cheren compete. They see him go to the battle stage. The announcer introduces his opponent: a black-haired boy from Zef High school. Then, the battle begins.

Cheren sends out Unfezant. His opponent sends out an Exploud. Exploud tries a Stomp but Unfezant flies away. Unfezant then uses Air Slash; the move connects. Unfezant seems dominant in this fight. Exploud attempts a Hyper Voice but the Flying type dodges with Quick Attack. It hits just after. Exploud gets up with difficulty after the barrage of moves. It uses Take Down to counter Quick Attack, but it only throws Unfezant off balance. It then gets behind the Normal type and finishes it off with Façade. The match is over and Cheren is acclaimed. He comes back to the locker room moments later. He sits on the bench.

"You were awesome! Here, drink this!" Says Bianca as she hands him a bottle of Total Freeze. Tyler is on alert.

"Hope you brought some for me, Bianca!"

"Hum, of course Tyler. Don't worry." She smiles.

"It's group 2's turn soon. Wish me luck if you're not too busy playing lovebirds." He teases.

"Waah! Not nice!" Bianca frowns cutely.

5 minutes after, Tyler's turn finally came. He starts walking to the stage under the cheers of the students of Victory High who came to cheer for their representatives. He was clapped respectfully by the others from other schools.

"AND THE OPPONENT, FROM WEST SIDE HIGH SCHOOL, PLEASE WELCOME ERIK!" says the announcer. An emo-looking boy comes out.

"Arcanine, full power!" Tyler sends Arcanine out.

"We're screwed, Dusknoir!" A Dusknoir comes out. The crowd starts heating up.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Arcanine, Flame Charge!" Arcanine's body catches fire and smashes Dusknoir.

"Shadow Ball, now!" Dusknoir shrugs off the pain and throws a black sphere.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" The flames overpower Shadow Ball and hit the Ghost type.

"Use Payback now!" Dusknoir charges at Arcanine.

"Beat it with Crunch!" The Fire type grabs Dusknoir's arm with its jaws before it could react and tosses it violently.

"Dusknoir, get up and use Shadow Punch, now!" Dusknoir then rises and punches Arcanine out of nowhere. Arcanine falls and is not moving anymore.

"WHAT AN EXCITING MATCH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

"It can't be it, right? Why did he send his best Pokémon at the very start of the competition?" Asks Skyna, watching from the screen.

"It's Tyler's style to do so." Brock answers. "He doesn't care about such things because he always wins no matter who he sends. Sending his best at the start allows him to warn the other participants of his skill. Besides, it's far from over."

"Enough playing! Arcanine, get up and finish it with Flare Blitz!" Arcanine and executes a scorching tackle on Dusknoir. It faints instantly. "Mad Skills!"

"IT COULDN'T TAKE IT! IT'S DOWN! UNABLE TO BATTLE, THE WINNER IS ARCANINE! THE VICTORY GOES TO TYLER DARK OF VICTORY HIGH!" The whole dome cheered for Tyler after the fiery words from the announcer.

When Tyler comes back, he is congratulated by his friends.

"You were amazing Tyler! Here!" Bianca says before throwing him a cherry flavored Total Freeze.

"You were so badass. I think I should be your fan! Right Skyna?" Whitney exclaims.

"W-well you did look cool. Just a little…" Skyna musters with difficulty.

"Good job, Tyler." Brock praises.

"Not bad." Cheren mumbles. Jimmy thumbs up to Tyler.

"Yo did a damn good job back there. Yo got some balls."

Boris and Daniel are in admiration and Jack, in his corner, tries not to show his grin. Roxie shrugs it off.

"You'll still lose badly in the end." She mumbles.

Meanwhile, in the dome's honorary box, someone saw the match with unusual attention.

"This one does have some skill. But since he is not a part of Elysium, there is no way for him to make me worry an ounce. We of Elysium shall prevail this year again. Roxie's report was pretty accurate; she did a very fine job. I will give her a well deserved bonus if she completes the second part of the plan. All plebeians from the other schools shall kneel before the might of Elysium."

Anyway, the inter-school tournament continues…

**Did you like? Part 2 is next week! Adios!...**


	12. First round Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**The second part of the first round starts now.**

**Neutral P.O.V**

It's noon. Everyone eats lunch, brought by Bianca. Meanwhile, Whitney is battling in the dome. After very short minutes, she already comes back to the Victory High locker room but no one bothered to look at the screen. Only Brock did, but he missed the match and only saw Whitney being cheered, victorious.

"Did you see that?! That match was super duper great!" She declares cheerfully. "But my opponent looked scared at the end though; he was foaming at the mouth for some reason."

"I'm happy for you Whitney." Brock replies.

After Whitney's group was done with all their matches, Skyna's turn finally comes.

"Watch me guys! I'll give you a flying experience you won't forget!"

"Do your worst, girl…" Tyler says with his eyes already on the screen.

"It's Skyna. Idiot…" She answers and leaves.

From the screen, everyone watches as Skyna enters the stage.

"FROM VICTORY HIGH, HERE COMES THE FLYING SKYNA!" The announcer introduces her.

He then shows the other corner.

"AND FROM ROCK ACADEMY, HERE IS EVERETT!"

A long brown haired hoodlum shows up.

"Swellow, fly away!" Swellow screams as it comes out.

"Come on, Swalot!" The Poison type appears.

"BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Swellow, Quick Attack!" The fast move hurts Swalot before it could react. But it still looks fine.

"Swalot, use Sludge!" The disgusting slime ball heads for its opponent.

"Dodge, and answer with Brave Bird!" Swellow dodges easily and tucks in its wings to give the devastating collision.

"Counter with Body Slam!" Swalot stops the attack but takes some damage in the process. It then presses all its weight on the Flying type to keep it down. "Now, use Toxic!" The poison spreads all over Swellow. It's now poisoned badly.

"Get out of there Swellow!" Swellow struggles and gets out but pants in pain. "Now, fly high." Swellow flies all the way to the dome roof. "Use Façade, let's go!" The bird Pokémon crashes on Swalot like a missile before its trainer could even blink. It's over.

"IT'S A DIRECT HIT! SWALOT IS UNABLE TO BATTLE; SWELLOW IS THE WINNER! SO THE VICTORY GOES TO SKYNA!"

Her victory was announced and the crowd goes crazy. The punk from Rock Academy rage quits the place. Skyna smiles when she sees her sister Skyla clapping in the heated crowd. Tyler in the locker room looks impressed. But he'll never admit it to her though…

15 minutes later…

Jimmy's Azumarill is staggering before Brock's Relicanth. They've been fighting for 4 minutes but Azumarill couldn't inflict strong enough damage to the sturdy Pokémon. The field was converted into a pool so both Water types could fight. But it was not enough to take the upper hand.

"So this is the skill of an A class? I should've known…"

"You've been doing well. I understand why you defeated Bianca." Brock states calmly.

"We're not done yet! If I defeated an A class then... Then I can defeat you too!"

"Bianca may have the same rank than me, but I'm… Far stronger than she is." He replies undisturbed.

(Oh no!)

"… Time to end this. Relicanth, Head Smash."

"Azumarill, counter with…" But it's too late. Relicanth strikes and Azumarill is felled by the attack. It doesn't get any recoil damage thanks to its ability Rock Head.

"It was a good battle, but you can still qualify if you win 2 other matches. Good luck to you." Brock finishes with his arms crossed.

"AND THE WINNER IS BROCK!"

Brock then walks away…

And a bit later…

Things were heating up in group 6 as Jack and Daniel were fighting one another. But despite Daniel's valiant efforts, the match is terribly one-sided. Jack's Lucario blocked all of Voltorb's attacks with one paw. No Charge Beam, Sonic Boom or even Thunder could put a dent in Lucario's defense. It didn't even bother to dodge the attacks, or strike back. Voltorb is tired from attacking in vain. Daniel doesn't know what to do anymore.

"For a C-class, you are not that bad. I can see you and Tyler fighting side by side helped you progress quickly. Good, VERY good!" Jack grins. "But you have hit your limit, give up."

"I know I'm still too weak. But I promised myself to never give up and keep moving forward. That's why I'll give my all against you! Come at me! I'm ready! Voltorb, let's do this together!" Daniel screams. At those words, Voltorb surges with energy and gets bigger; it's evolving! Even tired, Electrode still wants to fight. "Yes! Now let's go, Electrode! Thunderbolt!"

Jack smiles; sadistically excited: "Great, it's GREAT! Lucario, dodge it!" It dodges rather easily. "Now use Aura Sphere!" As if acknowledging Daniel as a worthy opponent, Lucario finally dodges and attacks. The orb of light easily plows through the Electric type. The battle is over.

"ELECTRODE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! LUCARIO IS THE WINNER SO THE VICTOR IS JACK FROM VICTORY HIGH!"

Jack and Daniel go back to the locker room together. Daniel still has a chance to qualify…

Afternoon is beginning. It is now time for the matches of Group 7.

"NOW MAKING HIS WAY TO THE BATTLE FROM VICTORY HIGH! A C CLASS TRAINER WHO MANAGED TO QUALIFY WITH DETERMINATION, BORIS!"

Boris comes out of the Victory High locker room. Once in place, he nervously waits for his opponent.

"AND HIS OPPONENT, FROM THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND POWERFUL SCHOOL ELYSIUM, THE ONLY CONTESTANT REPRESENTATIVE OF ELYSIUM FOR THIS TOURNAMENT, PLEASE WELCOME THE NOBLE ERNEST!"

"Tch, I'll have to perform in front of all those plebeians? Pearls before Piloswine. But it is always a good opportunity to prove our skill is unreachable to all the peasants from the other schools. The only reason for Elysium's participation perhaps…" As he mumbles, Ernest comes down the stairs from the honorary box. He is wearing a white shirt with frills at the sleeves at black classy trousers. He looks like some person from high class society. The elite of the elite. He is heavily applauded.

The two opponents look at each other.

"N-nice to meet you. Let's have a good match."

"…"

"W-what do you say?"

"I'm supposed to have a duel with this weak fat Grumpig? What foolishness is this? Anyway, let's get this mockery of a match over with." Boris is shocked by the snobbish response.

"W-what?! That's not the way a competitor should behave. Where is the respect?"

"Oh? Trash does have claims after all, I see. Oh well, I hope you can at least entertain me."

"Zigzagoon, battle!" Boris's Zigzagoon comes out.

"A Zigzagoon? This fight really isn't worth the effort… Come forth, Ninetales!" A beautiful Ninetales appears.

"BATTLE START!"

"Zigzagoon, use Tackle!" Zigzagoon heads straight for the Fire type.

"Use Flamethrower…" The move roasts the poor Zigzagoon before it could even close in. Boris calls it back.

"ZIGZAGOON IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! WHAT POWER! ELYSIUM DOESN'T MESS AROUND! THE WINNER IS THE ILLUSTRIOUS ERNEST!"

"Tch, there is no glory in taking down such trash. It couldn't even be called a one-sided fight. I sure hope the others aren't waste of space and time like this greasy germ." Complains Ernest while leaving. Those words profoundly hurt Boris who goes back to the locker room sheepishly.

"Don't let that snob jerk get to you. You can still qualify; you might even get your revenge." Jimmy tries to comfort his friend.

"Yeah, yeah! If you excuse me I like to be left alone for a moment." He replies as he disappears to the toilet.

"That bastard will pay for this!" Jimmy rages.

"Yeah, yeah. When you're done with your TV drama attitude, could you please move over? My turn is next."

"Roxie… You."

"Tch, still so bitchy, I see." Tyler says about Roxie's attitude to Jimmy. He glares at her like death itself. Roxie smiles at this.

"Hoh! That stare of yours is such a… Turn on." Roxie whispers to Tyler as she gets out.

Effectively, it's Group 8's turn to compete.

"AND THE POISONOUS ROXIE COMES TO FIGHT!" (…)

Tyler didn't bother to watch her match. But apparently, Roxie won easily after the opposing trainer was poisoned during the confrontation by 'accident'. Because of that, she doesn't need to fight anymore and gets automatically qualified for the second round, along with the other victor of her group: A hoodlum from Rock Academy.

It was a very long Afternoon…

Tyler and Jack pass with flying colors in their second match, with almost 1 hit K-Os each. Whitney won again while no one was looking, qualifying in the process. Skyna let Fletchling have fun with its opponent and qualified Skyna to all the arena's (except Skyla) surprise. Cheren wins again without breaking a sweat and Brock leaves no chance to his opponent. Daniel and Jimmy gave a heroic struggle by being constricted with two matches that they all won tenaciously. But Boris couldn't be focused, as he was completely demoralized, he lost his two remaining matches. Needless to say that Ernest's dominance qualified him right at the second match. During this intense battling, the announcer was on fire.

"GOOD, GREAT, AWESOME, OUTSTANDING, AMAZING! (Etc…)"

It's now late afternoon…

The 16 qualified for the knockout of the second round are in the middle of the dome on front of the heated crowd. Ernest winks at Roxie: Very good job. You shall get your paycheck at the end of the competition." He whispers.

"Of course, it's a good job! Who do you think I am?"

"Oh! Yes, of course."

"AND NOW LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TURN YOUR EYES TO THE TOURNAMENT BOARD! HERE ARE THE MATCHUPS FOR THE KNOCKOUT! GET A LOAD OF THIS!"

Tyler

V.S

Whitney

Skyna

V.S

Roxie

Jack

V.S

Tyson

Ratzky

V.S

Daniel

Ernest

V.S

Celia

Klancy

V.S

Jimmy

Cheren

V.S

Lana

Brock

V.S

Mike.

"AND THE MATCHES ARE UP, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! FROM NOW ON, THEY ARE 3 ON 3! THE FIRST MATCH WILL BEGIN IN TEN MINUTES, SO BOTH THE CONTESTANTS AND YOU, DEAR AUDIENCE, CAN BE READY FOR THIS EPIC MOMENT! AND YOU TOO, PEOPLE WATCHING AT HOME, YOU BETTER BE READY SO YOU DON'T MISS THIS! *Cough**cough*."

"So I'm up against you, Whitney, huh?"

"I feel this will be awesome!" She answers, excited.

"But I won't pull any punches. Hope you're ready!"

"Yes! Let's both give it our all! We'll fight seriously against each other for the first time, after all." She says before leaving to the locker room with a smile.

However, when she is out of sight from Tyler and the others, she pulls a Poké Ball from her pocket.

"Hey, my little Miltank! You never played with Tyler before. It's gonna be very, very fun. Hee hee, Tyler may be awesome, but he's in for an entertaining surprise."

A 10 minute break can go very fast…

**I hope you enjoyed it. Next week, the knockouts…**


	13. The knockout

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Pokémon.**

**The knockout is starting, things get serious, enjoy…**

**Neutral P.O.V**

The sun is setting. The 10 minute break is over. The competitors are about to be announced.

"FROM VICTORY HIGH, ONE OF THE TOUGHEST TRAINERS IN THE TOURNAMENT, THE RISING STAR NICKNAMED 'THE ARCANINE BOY', HERE IS TYLER DARK!" The announcer yells behind his desk and microphone. Tyler enters under a rain of cheers.

"AND ALSO FROM VICTORY HIGH, A NORMAL TYPE EXPERT AND A CUTE GIRL TO GO WITH IT, HERE IS WHITNEY!" Whitney enters with whistles from the boys. Hearing this, Brock's eyebrows twitch discreetly.

Tyler and Whitney take their position.

"I hope you're ready." Tyler smirks.

"Take your best shot!" Whitney answers with joy.

"AND NOW, BEGIN!"

"Absol, full power!" Absol comes out with a vicious glare.

"Go go, my Clefable!" A gentle looking Clefable is sent.

"Absol, use Night Slash!" The Dark type move viciously clobbers the opponent.

"No no, Clefable, use Blizzard!" Whitney commands while flailing her arms around. The cold breeze heads for Absol.

"Jump over it and use X-Scissor!" The Dark type Pokémon easily dodges and slashes Clefable viciously.

"No fair, your Pokémon is so vicious!" Whitney does a tantrum while flailing her arms around.

"You don't say!" Tyler smiles. "You could say he's got the temper."

"Try Thunder!" The electric pillar strikes at Absol out of nowhere.

"Get up, Night Slash!" Absol almost viciously tears to shreds the poor Pokémon. It's nearly lights out for Clefable.

"Use Metronome now!" The attack turns out to be Endeavor. And the move hits before Absol can react. Both Pokémon are spent. "Wow, guess I got super duper luck." Whitney gloats.

"Oh yeah?! Absol, Superpower! Full throttle!" Clefable is smashed viciously on the spot.

"AND IT'S OVER FOR CLEFABLE! NOW TYLER CERTAINLY HAS TAKEN THE ADVANTAGE!"

"Noooooo! You meanie! I'm going to pay you back, you see!" Whitney cutely flails her arms around. "Clefable, come back! Now, go go my Girafarig!" Girafarig is sent out.

"Absol, get back!" Tyler calls back the bruised Pokémon. "Luxray, full power!" A hyper charged Luxray comes out.

"Psybeam!"

"Charge Beam!" The two beams collide. But Luxray's voltage seems to be on the rise.

"Psychic!" Luxray is slammed by the telekinetic force.

"Answer with Thunderbolt!" The electricity showers the opponent.

"Zen Headbutt!"

"Wild Charge!" The collision leaves no one with the upper hand. Both Pokémon are damaged but still raring to go.

"Double Hit!" Luxray is battered by the 2-hit combo. "Follow up with Psychic!" The Electric type is thrown near Tyler's Feet.

"Get up and use Thunderbolt again!" Girafarig then gets zapped suddenly. "Add a Charge Beam!" The beam fries Girafarig who starts to stagger.

"Psybeam now!"

"Wild Charge!" At the price of great damage, Luxray steamrolls through the Psychic type beam. It arrives at Girafarig's level. "Now, finish it with Crunch!" The target of the super effective attack is Girafarig's neck. It's over.

"AND ANOTHER POKEMON IS TAKEN DOWN! WHITNEY JUST HAS ONE POKEMON LEFT WHILE TYLER HAS STILL THREE! IS THE OUTCOME CERTAIN!?"

"Return, Girafarig! Well, you are just as awesomely strong as I always thought Tyler!" Whitney admits in admiration.

"Awww shucks!" Tyler responds.

"But I'm afraid I have to get serious." Whitney says with a worrisome gaze.

"Wha-"Tyler gulps as the atmosphere around Whitney gets heavy.

"Miltank, go…" A Miltank comes out. It looks like it's on an entirely different level than the two other Pokémon Whitney has.

Tyler swallows his worries and starts to focus again.

"Luxray, Thunderbolt!" The thunder zaps Miltank with incredible might but when the smoke clears, Miltank looks almost unfazed.

"Miltank, use Brick Break!" The chop smashes through Luxray, who gets up with difficulty from the blow.

"Use Wild Charge!" Luxray charges at Miltank.

"Block it!" Both arms effortlessly block Wild Charge. "Send it flying! Rollout, now!" The Normal type knocks back Luxray like a train charge. "Finish it! Use Rollout once more!" Luxray has yet to get up.

"Get up, dodge and use Crunch!" Luxray avoids the attack by an inch before retaliating with all its might. But Miltank still looks fine after taking that damage.

"Body Slam, now!" Luxray is inevitably flattened. It faints.

"IT'S OVER FOR THIS ONE. THAT INCREDIBLE MILTANK REDUCED THE GAP! BUT WHITNEY'S NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET! TYLER STILL HAS 2 POKEMONS LEFT!"

"Absol, full power!" Absol comes back, felling a little bit better.

"Miltank, use Milk Drink!" Miltank recovers completely.

(Drat! It's tougher than I thought!)

"Absol, Night Slash!" The slash is vicious and decisive. But Miltank stands strong.

"Use Body Slam now!"

"Look out! Dodge at all costs!" Absol gets a little to the left and watches Miltank crash just beside it. "Now give it a Superpower!" The move is a vicious massacre on Miltank. Is it over?

"Hold Absol now, Miltank!" The Normal type grabs Absol and throws it in the air. "Now, wrap this up with Brick Break." The attack nails Absol to the ground who faints instantly. Tyler calls Absol back.

"ABSOL IS DOWN! NOW THE NUMBERS ARE EVEN AGAIN! CAN WHITNEY PULL OFF THE VICTORY?!"

"Yeah, I got this!" Whitney yells to the audience. Everyone cheer furiously.

"He he, so you had something like that in stock? I'm impressed!" Tyler admits.

"Let's say I like to not reveal all my trump cards at the beginning."

"Fine with me. I'll go all out then. Arcanine, full power!" Arcanine sends heat waves as it does its battle cry.

"I expected nothing less from you. Let's do this." Whitney replies with a rare determination.

"Now, use Flare Blitz!"

"Counter with Rollout!" The two moves clash angrily.

"Do Flare Blitz again!"

"Stop it with Body Slam!" Another mind blowing clash occurs. "Miltank, Brick Break!"

"Dodge that one with Dig!" Arcanine disappears underground. It impacts Miltank almost instantly after.

"Milk Drink!" Miltank is completely restored while Arcanine pants already from the recoil damage.

"Damn! Flare Blitz again!"

"Body Slam!" The fully powered Miltank overpowers Arcanine who barely gets up. "Now, finish it with Rollout!"

"No you don't! Arcanine, use Extremespeed!" The move hits before Miltank could act. "Follow up with Close Combat!" Miltank gets mauled badly.

"Oh no! Use Milk Drink!"

"Not this time! Arcanine, use Extremespeed!" The Pokémon can't recover as it is interrupted by the impact.

"No, no, no!"

"Flare Blitz, now!" Miltank then gets torched to oblivion. Tyler is the victor. "Mad Skills!"

"TYLER WINS AND JUST QUALIFIED TO THE QUARTER FINALS! NEVERTHELESS, WHAT A GREAT MATCH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

"I… Lost?" Tears start rolling on Whitney's face. "But… But… WHAAAAAAH!" She cries like a baby. "Tyler, you're so UNFAIIIIIIR! *sob*sob*"

"Huh? Wh-why are you crying? Come on! Get a hold of yourself!"

"But… I was supposed to WIIIIIN!"

"Ok! Look, I may have won, but you were awesome. I swear! Not many trainers could beat you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better!" She insists while trying to dry her tears.

"I mean what I said! You are strong!" Tyler quickly replies while walking towards her. "So don't cry, okay?" He finishes by petting her head.

"Really really?"

"Yeah." After Whitney gets her smile back to Tyler's words, they both head back to the locker room under the crowds rabid applauding. Whitney's always been kind of a sore loser.

It is now time for the second match…

Skyna is in the corridor between the locker room and the field of the match. Tyler grabs her shoulder from behind.

"Oh! Ah, it's just you. Don't scare me like that! What do you want?"

"Calm down. I just came to wish you good luck."

"I don't need it."

"You may be right. But I also came to tell you to be careful. She fights dirty; it would be a waste if you get poisoned too."

"Who do you think you're talking to? The class rep doesn't go down that easily. Or maybe you're just trying to make me forfeit so you can get revenge on Roxie and to not have to face me at the Quarter-finals." She says, suspicious.

"Of course not. I swear."

"Haha, dummy! I'm just messing with you." She answers jokingly. She then puts her hand on Tyler's hand on her shoulder. "But still… Thanks for your concern. It means a lot, Tyler." She sincerely admits in a rare display of kindness. Tyler feels her hand trembling a little. She finally goes to her match.

"Go get'em… Skyna." Tyler says as she disappears under the blinding spotlights.

"Oh my. Quite the lover boy for my little sister, are you? I came to cheer her on myself. But it looks like a certain someone already beat me to it." Says a voice behind him, it's Skyla. Tyler gets embarrassed.

"No, it's not like that! But I have good reasons to warn her."

"Don't worry, I was just teasing you. But thank you for looking out for her. It means a lot. She may be bossy, foul-mouthed and unable to be honest with herself but she is still my precious sister. So that's why I thank you." Skyla shows her gratitude. Tyler looks serious.

"No problem…"

Before Skyla can answer something, Roxie passes by them. Tyler glares.

"I hope me and her will get a good match." She says with a gentle smile.

"Just how phony can you be?" Tyler growls.

"But accidents can happen… KYAHAHAHAHAHA!" She finishes with her psychotic laugh. She leaves for the arena.

"If you want, you can sit beside me in the crowd so you can see the match better." Skyla proposes.

"Fine with me."

They get to the seats just in time for the announcer to start the match.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Swellow, fly away!" The Swellow comes out.

"Koffing, Rock and Roll!" that Koffing comes out.

"If you think, you can beat me easily, think again. Swellow, Quick Attack!"

"Try not to fail to amuse me. Koffing, dodge it." Koffing dodges with scary speed.

"Use Brave Bird, now!" The Flying type tucks in its wings and charges. It's a successful collision. Koffing recoils.

"Will-O-Wisp, now!"

"Pass through it and hit with Façade!" Koffing gets smashed by the attack of the burning Swellow. It faints.

"Hmph, quite strong. But the game is far from over. Scolipede, Rock and Roll!" the Scolipede appears.

"It doesn't matter what you do, I won't fall to your dirty tricks!"

"Flapping your lips won't do anything about it. Scolipede, attack!"

"Swellow, use your Wing Attack!"

"Parry it with Poison Tail!" Scolipede blocks the blow. The two forces are clashing. "Now use Rock Tomb!" The rocks bring down Swellow. Fainted, it is called back to its ball.

"AND ROXIE EVENS UP THE SCORE! WHAT A MATCH!"

"Damn! Skyna may have improved but I'm still feeling uneasy." Tyler says with concern.

"Wait and watch." Skyla replies. "And you'll see just how powerful Skyna really is."

"Unfezant, fly away!" Skyna's Unfezant is sent out.

"Scolipede, Steamroller!"

"Dodge and use Air Cutter!" After dodging, the air blades hit their mark.

"Use Rock Tomb!"

"Avoid it and use Air Slash!" Unfezant flies over the rocks and sends the attack from above. It's a direct hit.

"Don't think that this is over!"

"Hmph, Unfezant, use Sky Attack!" Unfezant literally drops on Scolipede.

"Counter with Poison Tail!" those 2 attacks clash strongly. But Scolipede took most of the damage. It's lying on the ground.

"Looks like this is it."

"Scolipede! Hurry and get up! Use Toxic!" the Poison type gets up and administers the venom to the unsuspecting Unfezant.

"Unfezant, brush it off and use Giga Impact!" The crash of the powerful, devastating move is inevitable. Scolipede faints.

"AND SKYNA TAKES THE UPPER HAND AGAIN! IS ROXIE OUTMATCHED?!"

"Congratulations, you have amused me. But I've spared you long enough. Time to finish this! Garbodor, Rock and Roll!" Roxie's last Pokémon enters the battle.

"Stop talking high and mighty when you're losing!"

"Fine then, come at me!" Roxie asks with a sadistic smile.

"Unfezant, Air Slash!" the hit is successful.

"Hyper Beam!"

"Dodge and use Sky Attack!" Unfezant tries to dodge but the poison hinders its concentration. It takes the attack only partially. It then executes Sky Attack.

"Stretch your arms to dodge it!" Garbodor uses its extensible arms to lift itself and avoid the move. Unfezant crashes on the ground and Garbodor falls with all its weight on top of it. "Now, DoubleSlap!" Unfezant is then felled by the consecutive strikes. Both trainers are down to the last Pokémon.

"IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS! WHICH ONE IS GOING TO COME OUT VICTORIOUS?! THE SUSPENSE IS MURDEROUS!"

"SKYNA! HURRY UP AND WIN! I DON'T CARE ABOUT FACING THAT HOE ANYMORE! JUST HURRY UP AND QUALIFY FOR THE QUARTER FINALS SO I CAN KICK YOUR BUTT ALREADY!" Tyler stands and yells out of nowhere, to Skyla's surprise. He was torn during the whole match, between finally getting his revenge on Roxie, meaning Skyna losing (hopefully cleanly) or Skyna winning and triumphing over Roxie's dirty tactics. He has made his decision.

"That idiot." Skyna mumbles.

"Tch!" Roxie is a little frustrated.

Skyla is amused.

"Fletchling, fly away!" Fletchling is ready to fight.

"Hah! You're sending this little pipsqueak against my Garbodor? What a joke!" Roxie mocks the cute little Pokémon.

"You won't even be able to keep up with this 'pipsqueak'. So prepare to lose!"

"Hmph, Garbodor, use DoubleSlap!"

"Dodge with Flame Charge!" the little one dodges and hits the Poison type with impossible speed.

"Tch, Gunk Shot now!"

"Flame Charge again!" the toxic move is avoided and Garbodor is hit again.

"Grrr, hurry up and use Venoshock!" But Fletchling is impossible to reach, having gained godly speed. Roxie is more and more enraged. "Arrrgh! Use Hyper Beam!" But the Hyper Beam completely misses its target, which is constantly moving around. Another Flame Charge brings Garbodor down. But it didn't faint.

"AND THE VICTORY IS CLOSER THAN EVER FOR SKYNA! GARBODOR TOOK SUCH A CLOBBERING!"

Tyler smiles, happy that his fears didn't become reality.

"Garbodor, I had enough of this game. Change of target…" Roxie whispers to Garbodor. Garbodor then arbors a twisted smile and gets back up. "Use Gunk Shot, Garbodor!" Wandering around too far above, Fletchling didn't have the time to do anything as the Poison attack hits Skyna directly, covering her in poisonous substances. Writhing on the floor in pain, the whole arena soon hears her heart wrenching scream of agony. Fletchling comes to her side, worried. Roxie takes the opportunity to send another Gunk Shot under the pretext that she was aiming for Fletchling. Fletchling is also poisoned. "Finish this piece of art with Venoshock!" The venom splatters on Fletchling, fainting it. But Skyna being by its side, she takes some of it and screams a sound out of this world. Venoshock being more powerful when aimed at a poisoned target; the pain Skyna feels must be beyond human belief.

Before this horrible show, Skyla is speechless. As for Tyler, he didn't react yet because all of it happened so fast. But when his mind processed the events, he couldn't think anything, so his mouth did it for him.

"ROOOOXIIIIIIIIIIIEEE! I'LL DESTROY YOOOOOOOOUUU!" Is what he finally manages to say before charging at the middle of the arena.

But having predicted Tyler's reaction, Brock ran out of the locker room with the coach to restrain him.

Seeing this, Roxie says: "Oh no! I have accidentally poisoned someone again. But I was aiming at the Fletchling. (Monotone)" then she blows a kiss at the enraged Tyler before leaving to the locker room.

The coach takes Tyler away to a corridor.

"DESTROY ROXIE! MUST… DESTROY… THAT BITCH!" the coach slaps him.

"Come to yo senses! I may have no proof that she done dat intentionally, but if yo attack her like dat, yo get canned, yo smell me?! Yo sposed ta face her at the quarter final, ain't that rite? Yo can get yer revenge then!"

"But… It's… too long!" Tyler answers, struggling to talk normally. Still, he understands that he must wait so he doesn't do something he regrets.

"Stay 'ere an cool off! Brock, can ya watch'im?" Mr. Damian asks. Brock nods. The coach then leaves to goes back to the locker room.

"Brock, shut me in that room over there, lock the door and open it only when the quarter finals start. Can you do that for me?"

"I understand." He approves.

He locks Tyler in the room at the end of the corridor and returns to watch the other matches…

During all that time, Roxie's poison attack was passed off as an accident. Under the premise that since she could have been aiming at Fletchling and not Skyna and the fact that they are from the same school and class so they may be buddies, supporting further the accident theory, Roxie was qualified for the quarter finals under the condition that this event must not repeat itself. Skyna was taken to the infirmary along with her Pokémon. The competition continues.

"FROM VICTORY HIGH, HERE COMES ANOTHER OF THE TOURNAMENT FAVORITES, JACK!"

Jack enters. The crowd cheers wildly.

"AND THE OPPONENT, FROM ZEF HIGH, TYSON!"

Tyson comes out. He is a blonde guy well dressed.

"Lucario, fight on!" His Lucario comes out, serious.

"Politoed, let's do this!" A Politoed is summoned.

"LET THE SCUFFLE BEGIN!"

"Lucario, Dark Pulse." The black wave hits Politoed, who does its best to hold on.

"Politoed, Hydro Pump!"

"Block it!" Lucario blocks the water blast with its palms.

"Ice Beam!"

"Counter with Aura Sphere!" The move overpowers Ice Beam and sends Politoed flying. It's fainted.

"AND WHAT A SHOW OF DOMINANCE FROM JACK'S LUCARIO!"

Tyson calls back his Pokémon. He then sends a Hypno.

"Hypno, use Psychic!" the telekinetic move hits Lucario but it stands strong.

"Aura Sphere again!"

"Endure it and use Shadow Ball!" Hypno holds on and sends the black sphere at Lucario.

"Bounce it back with Force Palm!" Lucario's palm sends back the attack forcefully, resulting in an increased super effective damage. "Now use Dark Pulse!" the dark wave devastatingly faints the poor Pokémon. Tyson calls it back.

"Misdreavus, do it!" a Misdreavus makes its appearance.

"Lucario, nice job!" Jack says as he calls back his Pokémon.

"Huh?"

"SUDDEN CHANGE! JACK CALLS LUCARIO BACK! WHEN VICTORY IS AT HIS FINGERTIPS! WHAT IS HE PLANNING?! MAYBE HE WANTS TO LET LUCARIO REST!?"

In reality, it was because Jack wants to show off one of his other Pokémon to send a message to the other competitors. It's basically a display of strength.

"Electivire, fight on!" Electivire emits sparks as it comes out.

"Misdreavus, Shadow Ball!"

"Dodge and close in!" The thunder Pokémon ducks and gets right in front of its opponent. "Discharge, now!" The surge of power paralyses the Ghost type. "Follow up with Thunder Punch!" Electivire jabs Misdreavus in an uppercut.

"Misdreavus, no!"

"Now finish it with Thunder!" Electivire gets right under it and releases the power spectacularly. Misdreavus faints. Tyson calls it back.

"AND IT'S OVER! WHAT A PERFORMANCE FROM JACK! TYSON FOUGHT WELL BUT JACK IS THE UNDISPUTED WINNER!"

"Awww, to think you weren't even trying." Tyson says, dejected.

"Don't sweat it, not many people can beat me."

(I can only have thrill and challenge when I'm fighting Tyler, it seems.)

Jack then leaves. A while after, it's time for Jimmy's match.

"FROM ROCK ACADEMY, HERE IS THE FIERCE RATZKY!"

A sinister looking bulky guy with sunglasses makes his entrance.

"AND A TENACIOUS C CLASS STUDENT FROM VICTORY HIGH, PLEASE WELCOME DANIEL EVERS!"

Daniel comes with his Poké Ball already out, ready to fight.

"So I gotta fight such a nerd? Whazzat? A joke?"

"Hey, it's not the first time I have to fight people like you. I'll give my all so let's fight!" He responds, determined.

"Tch, ya got balls, I admit that! But yer gonna cry!"

"Electrode, let's go!" Daniel's Electrode appears.

"Drapion, shut'im up!"

"LET IT RIP!"

"Drapion, use Cross Poison!"

"Don't let it come near! Use Thunderbolt!" The electric torrent stops Drapion's attack and sends it back.

"Then use X-Scissor!" The move hits. But Electrode is still fine.

"Use Protect!" Electrode protects itself.

"Get dat lil' shit!" Drapion hits but to no avail; Electrode stops protecting and hits Drapion with Thunderbolt again.

"Now, follow up with Thunder!" Drapion takes the combo badly.

"Grrr, use Night Slash!"

"Counter it with Spark!" The two attacks collide… But leaves only Electrode as the winner. Drapion fainted.

"AND DANIEL TAKES THE UPPER HAND! HE IS ONE OF ONLY TWO C CLASS, STILL IN THE TOURNAMENT AND HE PACKS QUITE A PUNCH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" The crowd cheers for Daniel at those words. He smiles.

"Hehehe, yer not bad! I respect the hell outta ya so I'm goin ta do ya a favor! I'm gonna go all out on yer ass."

"I'm ready!"

"My best Pokémon! Scrafty, shut'im up!" A strong looking Scrafty is sent out.

"Use Thunder-"

"Use Fake out!" Electrode is knocked out so fast it's hard to know if something even happened.

"Electrode, come back!"

"Hahaha!"

"Metang, let's go!" A fierce Metang is out.

"Headbutt now!"

"Dodge and use Metal Claw!" Metang floats over the Headbutt and slashes Scrafty at will. Scrafty recoils.

"Damn you!"

"Now, use Bullet Punch!"

"Brick Break!"

"No! Pull away and switch to Zen Headbutt! This last second change grants Metang survival and another successful hit (Which doesn't seem to be effective). Pumped with confidence, Daniel presses on. "Give it another Zen Headbutt!" Metang floats up and is ready to administer it.

"Now get'im! Use Hi-jump Kick!" This attack does not forgive. As it plows easily through Zen Headbutt and defeat the Metang in one hit.

"Come back, Metang!"

"How do ya like that?!"

"A COMPLETE TURNAROUND HAS BEEN MADE! RATZKY IS NOW DOMINATING THIS MATCH! WHAT CAN DANIEL DO?"

"… Magnezone, let's go!" Daniel's best Pokémon is on the field.

"Scrafty, use Headbutt!" Magnezone takes it head on.

"Send your Charge Beam at point blank range!" taking advantage of the short distance between the two Pokémon due to the previous move, Charge Beam was unavoidable. The damage is big, but Scrafty is still fine enough.

"Brick Break!" Magnezone takes it on the head. But is still fine enough. "Hi-jump Kick!"

"Duck now!" Magnezone dodges, sending Scrafty crash. It now writhes in pain on the ground.

"Flash Cannon, quick!" The steel attack blows on Scrafty.

"Hi-Jump Kick again!"

"Thunder attack!"

The two moves clash. Scrafty tries to make it through the lightning to reach Magnezone's head while Magnezone wants its Thunder to pierce through. Both then push each move at full power and an explosion ensues. When the smoke clears, both Pokémon are fainted.

"BOTH POKEMON ARE DOWN! SO IT'S A DRAW! HOWEVER SINCE RATZKY STILL HAS ONE POKEMON LEFT, HE IS THE WINNER! BUT WHAT A MATCH IT HAS BEEN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

"Oh no!"

"Ya little C class shit need ta learn yer place!" Ratzky says while leaving.

Daniel leaves too.

(Damn, at least I did all what I could.)

(Tch! Ta think a lil' shit like him could push me dis far. I'll bully him when dis tourney's over…)

It is now time for the match of Ernest from Elysium.

"AND NOW FROM THE MIGHTY SCHOOL OF ELYSIUM, HERE IS THE WELL-ESTEEMED ERNEST!"

Ernest comes down.

(I need to use as many Pokémon as possible, to demonstrate the most powers Elysium has that those masses of dust will never hope to attain.)

"AND THE PRETTY FACE FROM WEST SIDE HIGH, CELIA!"

A pretty looking girl comes from the other side.

"Let's have a good match, Mr. Ernest." She proposes nicely.

"Quiet, inferior trash. Just lose the way I want you to, okay?"

Dumbfounded, like she just had her illusions about Elysium broken, she just sends her Pokémon out without saying anything.

"…" A Delcatty is sent out.

"Come forth, Ninetales." His beautiful Ninetales comes out.

"GO FOR IT!"

"Delcatty, use DoubleSlap!"

"Ninetales, execute Energy Ball." The green ball is sent at Delcatty before it can obey its trainer's command. It's already fainted.

"INCREDIBLE, EVEN AN A CLASS TRAINER CAN LOSE A POKEMON IN ONE HIT AGAINST A TRAINER FROM ELYSIUM! WHAT INCREDIBLE ABILITIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

(Hmph, A class means nothing to a student from Elysium.)

"Now go, Wigglytuff!" A cute Wigglytuff is out.

"That is quite enough Ninetales!" He calls it back.

"?"

"Come forth, Starmie!" A Starmie replaces it.

"Go Wigglytuff, Hidden Power!"

"Starmie, demonstrate your Ice Beam!" Ice Beam easily overpowers Hidden Power and defeats Wigglytuff instantly.

"NO MATTER WHAT POKEMON IS SENT OUT BY ERNEST, THEY JUST CAN'T BE STOPPED! WE HAVE THE NUMBER 1 FAVORITE AS VICTOR OF THIS TOURNAMENT, HIS NAME IS ERNEST!"

(Of course I am number one! Nobody beats Ernest from Elysium.)

"Now go, Persian!" A noble looking Persian comes out of the Poké Ball.

"You have done enough Starmie!" Starmie is called back.

"!"

"Come forth, Chandelure!" Ernest sends another Pokémon.

"Persian, use Power Gem!"

"Evade it, Chandelure!"

Chandelure dodges. Persian tries the attack again but fails. Chandelure dodges too easily.

"You can keep playing for a moment, Chandelure."

"Shadow Claw!" Chandelure evades.

"Aerial Ace." Chandelure evades again.

Chandelure keeps circling around Persian with none of its attacks reaching it.

"AM I DREAMING?! THIS CHANDERLURE KEEPS PLAYING WITH PERSIAN LIKE IT WAS STILL A BABY MEOWTH!" The crowd was shocked and impressed at the same time by this cruel game.

"Stop it please!" Celia begs, fed up from being considered a joke.

"Very well, I was getting bored anyway. Chandelure, display the might of Inferno!" Persian is instantly roasted.

"AND THIS MATCH CONCLUDES! ERNEST IS THE WINNER!"

"You have served your usefulness, trash. Now you may disappear. That wasn't even a fight."

"Why do you have to be so mean?" Celia says, saddened.

"I despise whining trash even more…" Ernest walks away.

"T-that's not fair!" Celia, unable to take this harsh undue treatment and humiliation, bursts into tears. Two of her school comrades come to take her away while glaring at his back.

It is unfortunate that the announcer and the crowd can't hear what the competitors say between themselves…

"It's clear that he said mean things to her. Just because he comes from a prestigious school, he thinks he can say whatever he wants. I hate people who look down on others!" Jimmy says while leaving for his match.

"Watch out, even if you win your match, you will have to face him." Daniel warns Jimmy.

"He is dangerously strong, I can tell." Boris adds.

"I'll do what I can, guys." He replies. He turns his attention to Roxie. "And Roxie, you won't get away with this." He declares and leaves. Roxie laughs it off, completely carefree.

"HERE IS THE TOUGH ROUGHNECK, KLANCY! STRAIGHT FROM ROCK ACADEMY!"

A shaved head punk dressed in black arrives.

"AND A C CLASS THAT MANAGED TO MAKE IT THIS FAR, WHERE ONLY A AND B CLASS REMAIN, THIS IS JIMMY DONALD!"

Jimmy comes, somewhat relaxed.

"Skuntank, rip him apart!" A ferocious Skuntank appears.

"Azumarill, go!"

"START THE MATCH!"

"Skuntank, use Acid Spray!"

"Jump and use Hydro Pump!" Azumarill jumps over the fluid and dishes out the torrential water attack. Skuntank falls.

"Dark Pulse!"

"Counter with Water Pulse and use Dig!" While the two moves explode on each other, Azumarill digs underground.

"Huh, where izzit?"

"Attack, now!" Skuntank is hit by the super effective attack.

"Screw this! Use Sludge Bomb!"

"Block it with Aqua Tail!" The Sludge Bomb move is stopped by Aqua Tail. But Azumarill still takes considerable damage.

"Rahhh! Use Iron Tail!"

"Counter with Aqua Tail!" The two tails connect and create a violent surge of energy. But Azumarill wins the little skirmish when the smoke clears.

"AND JIMMY TAKES THE UPPER HAND IN THIS MATCH! INCREDIBLE!"

"Grrr, Golbat, rip him apart!" So Golbat is Jimmy's next opponent.

"Water Pulse attack!" It's a direct hit.

"Use Shadow Ball!" Azumarill takes it in the face. "Now, use Air Slash!" The blades hit the Water type repeatedly.

"Snap out of it! Use Aqua Tail!"

"Dodge that! Use yer Acrobatics!" Golbat dodges and clobbers Azumarill.

"Hydro Pump, quick" The terrible water attack blasts through Golbat. But it's still in the game.

"Use Air Slash!" A critical hit finally takes the Azumarill down.

"AND AZUMARILL IS DOWN! THE ODDS ARE NOW ALMOST EVEN! BUT IT PUT UP SUCH A GOOD FIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

"Azumarill, return." He calls it back.

"You C class can't win against us. Learn yer lesson! I'm B class!"

"I already dealt with punks like you and I will do it again." He answers coldly.

"Wadja say?!"

"Zangoose, go!" A ferocious Zangoose is sent out.

"Golbat, Acrobatics!"

"Zangoose, Crush Claw!" The claws completely disable Golbat. It faints.

"Get back 'ere! Rip him apart, Purugly!"

"AND KLANCY DOESN'T WASTE ANY TIME! HE SENDS PURUGLY!"

"Zangoose, Crush Claw!"

"Use Slash!" But Zangoose's attack is too dominant a sends Purugly flying.

"Zangoose, add X-Scissor!"

"Body Slam, now!" But Purugly's move is ineffective as it is utterly cross slashed.

"I had enough of that shit! Purugly, use Faint Attack!"

"Finish it with Close Combat!" Zangoose completely ignores Purugly's attack and starts battering it mercilessly. As Purugly is finished, this match is finished too.

"NOOO! Damn you, shorty!"

"AND THIS MATCH IS OVER, JIMMY IS THE WINNER! HE IS QUALIFIED TO THE QUARTER FINALS!"

Jimmy walks away under the cheers…

After a few moments, Cheren's turn finally comes.

"PLEASE WELCOME THE GENIUS FROM VICTORY HIGH, CHEREN!"

Cheren, after being rooted for by Bianca, comes to the arena.

"AND COMING ALL THE WAY FROM ZEF HIGH SCHOOL, THE CHARMING LANA!

A brunette with a single braid gets in the arena.

"Let's do this! Go, Liepard!"

"Do it, Tangrowth!" Both Pokémon are out.

"BATTLE ROUTINE, SET!"

"Execute! Liepard, Fake Out!" The hit makes Tangrowth flinch.

"No! Tangrowth!"

"Now use Shadow Claw!" It's a direct hit, but Tangrowth is almost unharmed.

"Grab it!" Tangrowth captures Liepard.

"Use Night Slash to make it let go!" The hit is violent but Tangrowth is still fine.

"Giga Drain, now!" With no means to escape, Liepard gets drained.

"Use Aerial Ace to get away!" The move hurts way more than the other two but Tangrowth hangs in there. Liepard is released.

"Leech Seed, hurry!" Now Liepard is infected.

"Liepard, return!" Cheren calls it back.

"CHEREN SEEMS TO GIVE UP TRYING WITH LIEPARD, HE REACHES FOR ANOTHER POKEMON!"

"Come out, Haxorus!" Cheren calls up the heavy artillery.

"Come on!" Lana says, burning with determination.

"Haxorus, use X-Scissor!"

"Counter with Wood Hammer!" But Wood Hammer gets completely overpowered by X-Scissor. Tangrowth faints.

"AND HAXORUS TURNED OUT TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN LIEPARD! CHEREN TAKES THE ADVANTAGE!"

"It's not over yet!"

"Then I'll fight with all my strength." Cheren answers.

"Do it, Poliwrath!" Poliwrath is sent out of its ball.

"Haxorus, full power Outrage!"

"Poliwrath, Mega Punch!" But Haxorus hits right after she gives the command. It's a one hit K.O.

"WOW, HAXORUS STEPS UP THE GAME! WHAT A MATCH!"

"I still have one Pokémon! Do it, Druddigon!" Lana's last hope enters the field.

"Haxorus, Outrage again, let's go!" The Dragon type charges furiously at Druddigon.

"Druddigon, use Outrage too!" The two hit each other and knock each other out mutually.

"BECAUSE CHEREN IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS POKEMON TO SPARE, HE IS THE WINNER!"

"You were great!" Lana recognizes.

"You're not so bad yourself." Cheren replies. They shake hands.

After this beautiful demonstration of sportsmanship, they both leave…

"AND NOW, THE LAST MATCH OF THE KNOCKOUT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! INTRODUCING FIRST, THE BEST DEFENSE OF THE TOURNAMENT, BROCK!"

Brock enters with his arms crossed.

"AND HIS OPPONENT, FROM WEST SIDE HIGH, THE GOOD MIKE!"

A ginger guy in jeans arrives.

"Go, Rhyperior!" His Rhyperior roars as it comes out.

"Glalie, take the stage!" A frigid Pokémon is summoned.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Rhyperior, use Rock Polish!" The Rock Pokémon polishes.

"Quick, use Ice Beam!"

"Dodge it!" It dodges the beam with incredible agility.

"Blizzard, now!"

"Jump over it!" Rhyperior jumps high and the Blizzard attack passes under. "Now send Stone Edge!" The rocks unforgivably hail on the Glalie. It's now fainted.

"INCREDIBLE! THAT RHYPERIOR SEEMS UNSTOPPABLE!"

"Come back, Glalie. Torkoal, take the stage!" A Torkoal comes to battle. "Now use Earth Power!" The ground is almost rend in two.

"Jump over Torkoal!" Rhyperior quickly avoids Earth Power by jumping and is now above the Fire type. "Squash it with Earthquake!" The weight of Rhyperior who crashes on Torkoal's back and the effectiveness of the move used were certainly enough to knock Torkoal out.

"AND BROCK AND RHYPERIOR ARE TOTALLY DOMINATING THIS MATCH!"

"Come back, Torkoal. Time to turn things around. Throh, take the stage!" Throh is the last Pokémon. Mike hopes to take back the upper hand thanks to the type advantage. "Throh, use Superpower!"

"… Horn Drill." The digging sounds on Throh breaks all Mike's illusions. The match is over.

"AND THROH IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE! BROCK IS THE WINNER AND THE LAST ONE TO QUALIFY FOR THE QUARTER FINALS!" The crowd goes crazy chanting Brock's name.

Brock returns to the locker room, hears all the congratulations from his friends and goes back to the corridor. He goes to the deserted corridor.

"AND IN 5 MINUTES, THE QUARTER FINALS WILL BEGIN! DON'T MISS ANYTHING! *Cough**cough*"

Brock reaches a door.

"Hey, Tyler. Now's the time. The quarter finals start soon and your match is first. Can I open?" Brock asks, whispering.

*Grunt*

"I guess that's a yes…"

The door slowly opens…

**Hope you liked! Coming back with the quarter finals next week…**


	14. The quarterfinals

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**I have returned with the chapter of the quarter finals. Feast your eyes…**

**Neutral P.O.V**

As Tyler gets out of his confinement, he puts on a calm expression. But like an eclipse, it's only the calm moon that is his fragile self-restraint that hides the raging sun that is his uncontrollable anger. Brock watches him come out quietly. But before getting revenge on the cause of his anger, Tyler has one thing in mind. One priority.

"There is still 5 minutes left, right? Can you tell me where the infirmary is?"

"… Sure."

Brock then takes the mentally unstable Tyler to the infirmary. Brock leaves immediately afterwards. Tyler goes to the bed where Skyna is resting. Just in front of it, Skyla is talking to a nurse.

"Is she going to be alright? Please tell me the truth."

"Her days were never endangered, but I can tell you that she is suffering excruciatingly. Unlike Pokémon, humans are not meant and prepared for those kinds of problems from Pokémon moves. Her Pokémon are fine, but as far as she's concerned, the antidote is going to take a few hours to act. We can only wait. I'm sorry." The nurse leaves after saying that.

"Oh. It's you, Tyler. Are you OK? Why are you here?"

"I came to check up on her." Tyler answers with a sinister face. He sits next to her bed.

"The nurse said she'll be alright after a while." Skyla informs. But it was clear that she isn't even convinced of it herself.

"I see… My match is soon so I just want to say a few words." Tyler says hoarsely.

Skyla, sensing something off in Tyler's aura, leaves the room entirely. She isn't scared, just worried and empathic. When Skyla isn't in the room, Tyler's restrained anger turns into sadness. He doesn't cry, but his face shows an undeniable suffering. But suddenly forcing himself to smile, he speaks.

"Hey Boring Chick. Looks like you got a taste of your own medicine. You were such a poison to me, hahaha!"

"…" Skyna has a respirator on her mouth and her eyes closed. It's a total silence; Tyler only hears her light breaths in the room.

(Yeah, who am I kidding? She can't hear anything I say anyway!) He thinks, letting his pained expression show up again.

However, even though Skyna looks unconscious, she is totally awake but the pain of the poison is so strong she can't move or react to it, making it seem like a calm sleep. Tyler takes her hand.

"Skyna… I don't know how to handle this kind of situation except making the one who did this to you pay dearly. My silence on her actions is the thing that led to this after all. I'll fix my mistake right now. I WILL make her suffer." Tyler spits out hatefully. It looks like Skyna reacted, but Tyler could be wrong so he continues.

"As strict and annoying as you are… To me… I still consider you as… As… Hum… A very precious person to me… And…" Said with difficulty, those words came straight out of Tyler's heart.

The exterior suddenly gets noisy. Because the first match is about to begin.

"… I guess it's time to go."

! He is then grabbed by the hand by another hand… It's Skyna's.

"Ty… ler…" She says with a weak voice.

"Skyna!?"

But she then starts convulsing. The nurses rush in.

"The poison inside her is trying to resist the Antidote."

"Get ready to administer more!"

"Sister!" Skyla screams as she comes back.

"SKYNA!" Tyler screams at first, but then remembers what the cause of her state is in the first place. Knowing what needed to be done, Tyler heads out…

During the moment Tyler went to see Skyna, something else was going on. Ernest was in a corridor talking to Roxie.

"Things are going smoothly."

"Of course!" Roxie replies.

"But I would like you to refrain from using such showy and barbaric techniques. We do not want to be discovered or have complications."

"Alright, I get it! That bitch was just pissing me off so I silenced her. Now I gotta face that angry sucker."

"Do you truly believe you can win against him?"

"Just who do you think you're talking to? I've beaten him and I'll do it again."

"Whatever, just make sure you stay in the competition long enough to eliminate the most strong ones as possible."

"I know what I have to do. Just watch!"

"Then go! We do not want to be seen together."

Roxie leaves for the battlegrounds.

(I feel a certain form of danger coming from this Tyler person… Nothing that can faze me of course. After all, I come from the place where the stronger than the strong reside: Elysium!)

"AND HERE ARE THE PAIRINGS FOR THE QUARTERFINALS!"

Tyler

VS

Roxie

Jack

VS

Ratzky

Ernest

VS

Jimmy

Cheren

VS

Brock

"AND NOW THE FIRST MATCH IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"

The crowd is totally hyped.

"INTRODUCING FIRST, THE ARCANINE BOY, FROM VIC-OHHH!" The announcer is surprised at Tyler's early arrival. He probably can't wait any longer.

"HOW INCREDIBLE! TYLER IS SO FIRED UP THAT HE SHOWED BEFORE HIS OWN INTRODUCTION!"

"AND ALSO FROM VICTORY HIGH, THE POISON MASTER, ROXIE!"

Roxie enters calmly and slowly, like she's doing it to piss Tyler off.

"ROXIIIIIIIIEE! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW!" Tyler yells, still containing himself.

Roxie then accelerates and is now facing Tyler on her side of the field.

"Relax, I'm here. I knew you'd grow addicted of me."

"Luxray, no mercy!" Luxray comes out with sparks flying everywhere.

"Your Luxray again?"

"I guess he wants to repay you for your 'kindnesses' from last time. Now shut up and fight." Tyler answers in a calm rage.

"Hmph! Koffing, Rock and Roll!" The Koffing reappears before Luxray.

"ARE YOU READY? FIGHT!"

"Luxray, Thunderbolt!" Koffing gets zapped silly.

"Koffing, use Clear Smog!"

"Dissipate it with Charge Beam!" The smoke is blown apart by the beam that strikes Koffing. Luxray's power seems to be on the rise.

"Gyro Ball now!"

"Counter it with Wild Charge!" The spinning tackle is completely blocked by the electric mauling. Koffing is getting dizzy.

"Grrr, hurry up and use Sludge Bomb!"

"Jump at maximal power!" Luxray jumps high above the place where the attack lands. "Now, use Thunder!" The violent electric attack smashes through the Poison type. Koffing is still here but is in pain, covered in sparks. It is paralyzed.

"Tyler Dark, you bastaaaard!" Roxie rages.

"Luxray: his power is maximum! Now how does it feel like to have a status ailment? And use it so meanly? But believe me, the worse is yet to come." Tyler says with a glare of pure evil. "Luxray, zap it away with Thunderbolt!" Koffing is felled by the attack.

"You'll pay for this!"

"WHAT INCREDIBLE LACK OF MERCY! TYLER DISPATCHED THAT KOFFING ASAP!"

"Come back, you! Garbodor, Rock and Roll!" The stinking Pokémon comes out.

"Time to end this. Luxray, come back! Absol, no mercy!" Absol lets out a vicious cry as it comes out.

"Garbodor, DoubleSlap!"

"Dodge and use Swords Dance!" As it gets out of the way, Absol sharpens viciously.

"Now, use Hyper Beam!"

"Jump over it and use Swords Dance!" The Hyper Beam hits nothing as Absol leaps over it with ease. It then sharpens even more viciously.

"Grrr!"

"Try Swords Dance one more time!" Absol viciously powers up while Garbodor recharges. "Now, let's slaughter" Says Tyler from his evil eye.

"No you don't! Garbodor, send Gunk Shot!"

"Blow it away with Night Slash!" Absol easily and viciously casts the trash aside. "Now, clobber it with Zen Headbutt!" The move is viciously overkill and instant knockout, Garbodor is sent flying in the wall next to the crowd: that's how strong it is. But for Tyler, it's not enough. "Now, use Psycho Cut!" the psychic blade tears viciously through the already knocked out Pokémon.

"What'd you think you're doing?!" Roxie yells, outraged and dumbfounded.

"It's in the way. Get that eyesore in its fucking ball and get on with it." Tyler says in a calm rage. An evil light shines through his eyes.

"Come back, dumbass!" She calls it back. "Scolipede, Rock and Roll!" Roxie's last Pokémon makes its entrance.

"If you think I'm done here, you're delusional. I won't stop until I ERASE you." Tyler seemed, at that moment, even more evil than Roxie ever was.

"…" For the first time, Roxie stayed quiet to Tyler's words.

"WHAT AN OVERKILL MOVE, TYLER IS DOMINATING, CAN ROXIE REVERSE THE TIDE OF THIS DUEL?!"

"Scolipede, use Toxic (on Tyler)!"

But Tyler and Absol simultaneously dodge left easily. Roxie roars with frustration: "RHAAAAAAH!"

"Absol, use Psycho Cut!"

"! Parry it with Sludge Bomb!" But the blade viciously cuts through. Scolipede staggers, barely holding on.

"Scolipede, hurry up and do something, you dope!"

"Now Absol, Night Slash it to pieces!" Just for this very instant, Scolipede felt what being sashimi felt like. The slaughter fest has come to an end. Tyler is the winner.

"COMPLETELY ONE-SIDED TO THE END! TYLER WINS INCONTESTABLY! HE IS THE FIRST QUALIFIED TO THE SEMIFINALS!" The crowd cheers for The Arcanine Boy.

Roxie calls back Scolipede and leaves in a huff.

Tyler also leaves. The next match is Jack's…

In the corridor, Ernest watches, looking disappointed.

(Tch, I should've known that this is what happens when you employ trash. When you're not from Elysium, you always end up that way. She will meet appropriate consequences later. Here I thought I wouldn't have to break a sweat. I guess I'll have to make a tiny effort in this tournament.)

Then, a husky voice calls for him, breaking his thoughts.

"Prepare yer anus, Elysium prick! I might face ya in the finals!" Ernest turns to see that Ratzky was talking to him, putting his hand on his shoulder. The atmosphere gets heavy as Ernest gives Ratzky a scorning glare.

"I would like you to refrain from addressing me with such overly familiarity. With the difference in our ability, you can't even hope to make it to the finals. And finally, refrain from putting your filthy trash hands on myself. Now disappear!"

Before Ratzky can say another word, Ernest leaves to the honorary box. Ratzky then realizes that his hand is shaking…

Roxie is leaving. She traverses the corridor leading to the back exit.

"Flamethrower!"

Roxie avoids the flames just in time. Her attacker is… Tyler. Arcanine is just beside him.

"You even followed me here. You anger and persistence really turn me on." Roxie grabs Tyler's waist with an insane expression.

"You didn't think I would stop paying you back only with a Pokémon battle, did you?!" Tyler finally releases his anger and resentment. "I didn't use Arcanine during our fight because I kept his strength just for this moment. Now I can keep my promise and ERASE you!"

"Your viciousness, your rage… It's so…"

A horny Roxie gives Tyler a wet kiss. Their tongues lick each other sensually. Tyler kisses her back. They both caress each other's private parts. Why did he do that? Is it because of lust, the stress due to all the events or maybe his way to channel his rage…? Or maybe a farewell to all the indecent things that he had because of her, willingly or not? It seems like the latter, because when Tyler stops, all sanity and mercy are gone from his eyes.

The next moment in about 1.2 seconds, Arcanine chomps her by the abdomen with Flame Fang. It then tosses Roxie's body like a sack of potatoes.

"How does it feel to get a taste of your own medicine?" Tyler asks, less angry than before but still heartless.

"Hehehe… You are so vicious…" Roxie barely manages to say.

"At least you gave me enough determination to get as strong as I am now. But now that you are defeated, you have served your purpose, disappear."

"Wait!"

"?"

"I just did what I did… Because it's a job that was given to me… By Elysium's representative."

"That Ernest guy?"

"Yeah…"

"What was that 'job'?"

"Evaluate and hinder through every means possible… The strong trainers for this tournament. I operated in… The other schools at night. I had to… Make sure that the least numbers of strong trainers could participate."

"Then why attack Boris, Jimmy and Daniel?"

"To lure you, Tyler… Into a trap, it almost… Worked."

Tyler recalls that poison attack on him, but he had managed to help himself with primary first aid.

"Why would you work for them?"

"Cause it's my way of life… Of course. I was going to gain a good paycheck and expensive, power-up items… For my Pokémon. But I couldn't eliminate enough people from the tournament so… I won't get anything and I'll be probably punished."

"Believe me, that is the last of your worries. Why would Elysium do that, anyway? Aren't they strong enough?"

"Elysium is a school… Full of snobbish people who look down on everyone in society just because they are not from their school, strong or not. They need the least amount of strong people… To oppose them in events like these. This is so their victories look one-sided even more."

"What? That makes no sense."

"Think about it. Elysium wouldn't look as prestigious if that wasn't the case. If they had to struggle more to win, people would think that you can get stronger outside of Elysium. They want to make sure that no one can hope to have any worth in society without having been an Elysium student. And that's where I came into play."

"I see. Then I just have to clobber that Ernest guy and then Elysium will shut their traps." Tyler concludes bluntly.

"Hahaha… You must be crazy…"

"Look who's talking."

"Why do you think Elysium sent only one first year? That guy is worlds apart from your level. A class is nothing to him."

"I may not be from Elysium, but that won't stop me. I just have to win, that is all."

"…"

"The time for talk is over. Now you will pay for what you did to Skyna." Tyler finishes while Roxie gets up.

"I just did what I had to do. I have no regrets… Rather… I enjoyed it! KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Her psycho expression reappears.

"I figured as much. Arcanine, use Extremespeed!" Arcanine plows Roxie who crashes on the stone wall. "I wasted enough time here, wrap this up with Flamethrower and let's get out of here." Roxie is then burned on the spot. While her body engulfs in flames, Tyler whispers: "Mad Skills." with an evil grin covering his face...

When Tyler gets back to the locker room, Jack had almost won his match…

"So yer the bastard that defeated meh boyz before the tournament, eh? Yer gonna pay fer this!"

"So you are the leader of those small fries? Even they fight better than you."

"Wad ya say?!"

Ratzky had just his Scrafty left when Jack still has all his 3 Pokémon left. Lucario is dominating.

"Scrafty, use Hi-jump Kick!"

"Lucario, duck!" The attack passes over Lucario's head and Scrafty crashes and burns.

"Grrr!"

"Lucario, Aurasphere!" Scrafty faints from the attack.

"AND IT IS ALSO A PERFECT VICTORY FROM JACK! THE TWO PERFECT VICTORS WILL FIGHT EACH OTHER IN THE SEMIFINALS! TYLER VS JACK CONFIRMED!" The crowd goes rabid.

Ratzky leaves, enraged beyond belief.

(You're not the only one that can do a flawless victory. And now the real fun begins, just you see, Tyler! I will have my thrill beating you!)

When Jack gets back, they both look at each other with respect and excitement. Jack then goes to sit further back.

"Oh! Tyler! I meant ta tell you dat Skyna's alright now!" The coach says.

"Ok." Tyler says, seemingly relieved.

"By da way, where's Roxie?"

"Hehehe, who knows? She probably went somewhere."

Mr. Damian looks at Tyler suspiciously for a moment, but he doesn't pry any further.

Jimmy heads out for his match against Ernest.

"Good luck, Jimmy!" Daniel and Boris wish him almost together. Jimmy nods to this and goes.

(I may be unable to get back at Roxie now but I can make still an impact. I'll show that I'm no joke!)

"FROM THE LEGENDARY SCHOOL OF ELYSIUM, THE RESPECTABLE ERNEST!"

Ernest enters looking at everyone like they are dirt. No one realizes that in their excitement though.

"AND THE C CLASS FROM VICTORY HIGH, THE TENACIOUS JIMMY!"

Jimmy enters, serious.

"I congratulate you for making it this far. But your luck is now over; you won't even be able to hit one of my Pokémon before you bite the dust."

"We'll see. Go, Azumarill!" Azumarill is out.

"Come forth, Ninetales." The gorgeous Ninetales is back again.

"ERNEST HAS CALLED A POKEMON WITH A TYPE DISADVANTAGE, IS THAT A SIGN OF HIS CONFIDENCE?! ANYWAY, BEGIN!"

"Azumarill, use Water Pulse!"

"Ninetales, utilize Flamethrower!" The flames evaporate the sphere of water and faint Azumarill.

"A 1 HIT KO WITH A TYPE DISADVANTAGE! CAN ERNEST BE STOPPED?!"

"Come back! Go, Zangoose!" A ferocious Zangoose is sent out.

"Administer Flamethrower again!"

"Dodge it quickly!" Zangoose barely avoids the move. "Now, use Crush Claw!"

"Switch to Energy Ball!" The green orb of light hits Zangoose before it reaches Ninetales. It faints.

"No! Come back, Zangoose! Go, Golduck!" Jimmy's Golduck appears.

"Display Flamethrower once again!"

"Block it!" Golduck gets pushed back while blocking even with both hands with all its might. "That was close, now Hydro Pump!"

"Oppose it with Flamethrower!" The two moves counter each other to a standstill. "Now give it a taste of Energy Ball!"

"Bounce it back with Psychic!" The telekinetic move changes the direction of the attack that comes back to Ninetales. It hits. "Now's our chance! Hydro Pump!" The Water type attack further damages the opponent.

"Congratulations, you actually managed to hit my Pokémon. This calls for praise." Ernest says while clapping. "But playtime is over. Ninetales, Psyshock immediately!" The psychic matter particles defeat Golduck inevitably. The match is over.

"AND A PERFECT VICTORY FROM THE FAVORITE OF THE INTER-SCHOOL TOURNAMENT, ERNEST! BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME, A C CLASS TRAINER MADE IT AS FAR AS THE QUARTERFINALS; LET'S GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO JIMMY!" Due respect is given from the crowd.

(And another trash out of the way. This task sure is tedious.) Ernest thinks while returning to the honorary box.

Jimmy leaves, disappointed.

(Have I reached my limit?)

A few minutes after his return to the locker room, the time for the last quarterfinal match finally comes…

Brock and Cheren decide to enter together in the arena.

"AND BOTH FROM VICTORY HIGH AND FROM THE SAME CLASS, HERE ARE 2 A CLASS TRAINERS, THE MIGHTY CHEREN AND THE IMMOVABLE BROCK!"

"Let's give it our all." Cheren suggests.

"Don't expect me to hold back." Brock replies.

"Goes without saying." Cheren smiles.

"Go, Onix!" The giant Pokémon appears.

"Let's go, Gigalith!" The heavy Rock type Pokémon is summoned.

"WAVE BATTLE, RIDE ON!"

"Onix, use Dig!" Onix hurries underground.

"Gigalith, use Earthquake! The shockwave hits Onix even underground.

"Onix, attack now!" Onix surfaces and the super effective hit throws Gigalith off balance.

"Gigalith, use Stone Edge!"

"Onix, use Stone Edge too!" The rocks rain on both sides. Both opponents are damaged.

"Gigalith, Giga Impact!"

"Counter it with Iron Tail, full strength, let's go!" The gigantic tail sends Gigalith crashing on the ground. It's fainted.

"WOW! UP UNTIL THEN, BOTH OF THEM WERE EVENLY MATCHED, AND BY A HAIR, BROCK TAKES THE UPPER HAND!"

"Good battle, Gigalith. Return! Let's go, Haxorus!" Haxorus makes an entrance roar.

"Onix, use Stone Edge!"

"Haxorus, finish this battle with Surf!" The wave washes the rocks away along with Onix, who faints. Brock calls it back.

"NEITHER OF THEM WANTS TO LET THE OTHER TAKE THE ADVANTAGE! WHAT A MATCH!"

"Go, Kabutops!" A Kabutops comes out.

"Haxorus, Rock Slide!"

"Tear it apart with Stone Edge!" The Rock Slide attack crumbles to Stone Edge and Haxorus takes the full brunt of both attacks.

"Now, use Surf!"

"Endure it and use Rock Polish!" Kabutops resists the wave and polishes itself.

"X-Scissor, Haxorus!"

"Dodge it!" Kabutops dodges easily.

"Haxorus, use Outrage, quick!"

"Counter with Giga Impact!" The two raging attacks collide. But both are still standing.

"Haxorus, attack again!" Haxorus comes back for more.

"Snap out of your tiredness! X-Scissor, now!" Kabutops makes an effort and the collision occurs again. But this time, Kabutops finally wins. Cheren calls Haxorus back.

"AND NOW BROCK IS WINNING AGAIN, WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!?"

"Let's go, Serperior!" A graceful Serperior comes out. "You better not underestimate this one. Come on!"

"Fine, then I won't. Kabutops, X-Scissor!"

"Block with Dragon Tail!" The tail attack blocks Kabutops scythes. And then, Serperior's tail grabs the Rock type and tosses it in the air. "Now, finish it with Leaf Blade!" The hit is decisive and brutal. Kabutops faints. Brock calls it back.

"IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE LAST POKEMONS OF EACH COMPETITOR!"

"Go, Rhyperior!" Rhyperior lets out a battle cry as soon as it is sent out.

"Dragon Tail!"

"Grab it and use Stone Edge!" The parry is successful and the rocks hit Serperior.

"Use Leaf Blade!" The attack almost puts Rhyperior out of commission but it survives thanks to its special ability: Solid Rock. But it won't take another one of those.

"Use Rock Wrecker!" The rock attack catches Serperior off guard. But it's still fine.

"Wrap this up with Leaf Storm!"

"Charge! Finish this fight with Megahorn!" Rhyperior drives through Leaf Storm and lands the move. But the power of both attacks cause a shockwave. When the smoke clears, both Pokémon are down. But then, Serperior is the only one who gets up. Cheren wins.

"AND THIS EPIC MATCH CONCLUDES WITH CHEREN'S VICTORY, HE'LL FACE ERNEST IN THE SEMIFINALS! BUT BROCK GAVE ALL OF YOU YOUR MONEY'S WORTH! LET'S CONGRATULATE HIM!" The crowd applauds both trainers.

Brock comes to Cheren and they share a fair-play handshake. Liking this, the crowd cheers even louder.

The quarterfinals are over…

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! HERE ARE THE PAIRINGS FOR THE SEMIFINALS! DON'T MISS ANYTHING AS THIS TOURNAMENT WILL SOON REACH ITS CLIMAX! *cough**cough*"

Tyler

VS

Jack

Ernest

VS

Cheren

"IN 10 MINUTES, THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SEMIFINALS WILL BEGIN! TYLER WILL GO HEAD TO HEAD WITH JACK! TWO FAVORITES OF THE COMPETITION WILL FINALLY CLASH, SO YOU BETTER BE READY!"

10 minutes. In 10 minutes, two massive powers will collide, once again.

The clock is ticking…

**Next week, the semifinals. Tyler will face his rival Jack for the first time since chapter 6. Like it, don't miss it…**


	15. The semifinals

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Pokémon and its characters.**

**The time has come, the semifinals are beginning…**

**Neutral P.O.V  
**

It's in the evening now. The sun finally disappeared in the horizon. But what hasn't disappeared is the excitement of the crowd as the following trainers are introduced.

"AND FROM VICTORY HIGH, THE RELENTLESS ARCANINE BOY, THE ONE WITH THE MADDEST SKILLS, HERE COMES TYLER DARK!"

Tyler enters, his eyes invisibly hidden by his cap.

"AND HIS OPPONENT, STILL FROM VICTORY HIGH, THE RUMOR SAYS HE IS TYLER'S STRONGEST RIVAL, THE UNSTOPPABLE ATTACK POWER, PLEASE WELCOME JACK!"

Jack enters with a large grin on his face. He is about to get the battle he wanted the most in this tournament.

"I've been waiting for this moment for far too long! I finally have the chance to ensure your defeat!" Jack says, excited.

"Bring it on!" Tyler replies, showing the same sadistic grin than Jack.

"Lucario, fight on!" Lucario comes out.

"Luxray, full power!" Luxray appears.

"START THE BATTLE!"

"Lucario, Aurasphere!"

"Luxray, counter with Charge Beam!" A violent clash occurs, but Aurasphere breaks through the electricity and hits Luxray. "Luxray!"

"Now, use Dragon Pulse!"

"Dodge and use Thunderbolt!" Luxray gets up, dodges right, and electrifies Lucario.

"Lucario, turn this around with Bullet Punch!" Lucario jabs Luxray faster than the eye can see. After an instant, Tyler reacts.

"Quick! Grab its arm with Flame Fang!" The hot bite has an explosive effect. Lucario struggles to make Luxray let go.

"Knock him off with Close Combat!" Luxray gets a memorable beating as the punches rain on it.

(Damn!)

"Keep it up!" Lucario keeps punching. Finally, Luxray faints.

"AND JACK'S LUCARIO COMPLETELY OVERWHELMS LUXRAY AND GIVES ITS TRAINER THE ADVANTAGE!"

"Thanks, Luxray! Your Lucario is well trained, Jack."

"Yeah, I know! Guess training it to be my top tier was worth it! Now you're as good as beaten!"

"It's far from over! Absol, full power!" Absol is summoned, giving a vicious glare to Lucario.

"This'll be easy! Lucario, use Bullet Punch!"

"Dodge quickly! Then use Swords Dance!" The two extremely fast Pokémon miss each other. Absol takes that chance to sharpen, viciously.

"Dragon Pulse, go!"

"Deflect it and hit Lucario with Night Slash!" Absol deflects Dragon Pulse like it was nothing before slashing Lucario viciously.

"Get up, Lucario! Use Aurasphere!"

"Get rid of it with Night Slash!" Absol tries to cut the blue sphere but it explodes on it, Night Slash only manages to diminish the damage. Absol pants heavily.

"I'm disappointed, is that all you got?"

"What?"

"You're not taking our fight seriously enough! Is your mind elsewhere or something? If it is, there's no way you stand a chance against me!"

Effectively, Tyler's mind is currently shaken by the recent events: Skyna, Roxie and the urgency of meeting and beating Elysium. It's sure that if Tyler focuses too much on other things, he'll be helpless against an opponent like Jack.

"…"

"Get serious! Come at me! Give me all of you!"

"You'll regret that!" Tyler says, back to full focus. "Absol, Swords Dance!"

Jack smiles. "Lucario, be careful!" Lucario nods.

"Absol, use Superpower!"

"Lucario, Close Combat!"

The shockwave ensuing from the clash of both attacks bathes the entire dome. Everyone is speechless with their eyes wide open. Lucario jabs like there's no tomorrow while Absol's paws infused with Superpower try to push back Lucario's fists.

"WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DEMONSTRATION OF POWER FROM THESE TWO! WHO WILL WIN THIS STRUGGLE?! OH! ABSOL SEEMS TO LOSE FIELD BIT BY BIT! IS THIS IT?!"

Due to the type disadvantage, Absol's is slowly losing.

(Shit! When it comes to hit directly, Lucario is stronger. What should I do? Oh! Of course!)

"Absol, do a front flip!" Helped by the momentum of Close Combat, Absol flips over the punches.

"What?"

"Now dish it out!" The paw smashes viciously into Lucario's face. It's over.

"AND THE TWO SIDES ARE EVEN AGAIN! WHAT A MATCH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

"Good job, Lucario! Now that's the power I want to see! I don't want you to lose fast! Let me enjoy the moment!"

"Hahaha! You talk like you're actually going to win! That's sad!"

"Heh! Scizor, fight on!" A Scizor comes out.

"Not good! Absol, use Baton Pass!"

"Oh no, you don't! Scizor, use Bullet Punch!" The attack hits Absol and it faints but the move had the time to be carried out. Absol is enveloped in a strange light and gets back in the ball and Arcanine comes out with a roar that shakes the ground and emits heat waves. It's likely that Absol stats were transferred right before it fainted.

"That was close. Now Arcanine, let's win this one!" Arcanine roars again in determination.

"Tch! Scizor, use Bullet Punch again!"

"Get behind it with Extremespeed!" Arcanine almost teleports behind Scizor as both Pokémon are in a contest of Speed.

"Dammit!"

"Now, send it flying with Flame Charge!" The burning Pokémon shoves into Scizor. The super effective move knocks it out in one hit.

"WHAT A HEROIC REVERSAL! THE TWO TRAINERS ARE NOW EVEN! THEIR RIVALRY IS DISPLAYED IN FRONT OF ALL OF YOU! AND IT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT!"

"Good job, Scizor! Electivire, fight on!" Arcanine and Electivire glare at each other on sight.

"Arcanine, Flame Charge!"

"Electivire, Thunder Punch!"

And so, the crowd was mystified by the monstrous trade of blows. Neither Pokémon had the intention of yielding even in the slightest. Flames were raging, thunder was flying. But in that furious clash, Absol's power-ups from Baton Pass eventually started to give Arcanine the advantage. Arcanine's boosted power and speed start to push Electivire back. Jack intends to turn the situation back in his favor.

"Electivire, use Thunder!" The lightning strikes Arcanine.

"Damn, no! Arcanine!"

"It's over."

"… For you!" Tyler answers as he senses Arcanine isn't done yet.

"What?"

"Propel it in the air with Extremespeed!" Arcanine promptly gets under Electivire and catapults it to almost the roof of the dome. "Jump above it!" Arcanine leaps just over the Electric type, who is in a lying position.

"Electivire, use Discharge!" An immense electrical explosion occurs near the ceiling.

"Arcanine, resist it! Use Fire Blast at full power!" Electivire is instantly knocked back down by the attack. The whole crowd watches in amazement the star of fire that consumes Electivire and covers the whole battleground. They are even more impressed when it gets up from it, although seriously damaged.

"Great, Electivire!"

"Now, dive on Electivire with Flare Blitz!" Arcanine descends like a comet. Jack barely has the time to react.

"Block it! Wha-"*Boom* Electivire is decisively knocked out. That being the case, the match is over.

"… I WAS SO BUSY DROPPING MY JAW BEFORE THIS DISPLAY OF EXPERTISE WORTHY OF THE BEST TRAINERS! BUT AT THE END OF THIS CLASH OF TITANS, TYLER DARK IS THE UNDISPUTED WINNER!" The crowd goes crazy, cheers and claps like nobody's business.

"MAD SKILLS!" Tyler shouts with his fist raised in victory. The audience goes even wilder hearing that.

"TYLER, TYLER, TYLER, TYLER!" They chant his name.

Jack approaches Tyler. "Nice one! Now go win this thing!"

"Totally!" Tyler replies as they shake hands and return to the locker room.

And thus, the duel between the two rivals of Victory High drew to a close…

Adjusting his glasses, Cheren heads for the arena. Descending the stairs, Ernest goes to battle. The second semifinal is about to begin. 5 minutes after the deadly duel, a new battle is going to take place...

"INTRODUCING FIRST, THE NOBLENESS INCARNATE, THE PLAY-FAIR ERNEST!"

Ernest arrives in the arena.

"AND NOW PRESENTING, THE STRIKER OF VICTORY HIGH, CHEREN!"

Cheren calmly enters.

(Hmm, this one looks tougher than the other trashes. I should give a slim push to my Pokémon.)

"This should not take too long." Ernest finally says.

"Let's start." Cheren calmly says, completely ignoring Ernest's comment.

"… Come forth, Ninetales!" Ernest sends in his beautiful Ninetales without further ado.

"Let's go, Liepard!" The Dark type makes its entrance.

"START THE BATTLE!"

"Ninetales, use-"

"Liepard, Fake Out!" Ninetales flinches because of it.

"Tch!"

"Now, follow up with Night Slash!" The slicing move finds its target. Ninetales recoils. "Keep at it! Use Shadow Claw!"

"Enough of this, administer Energy Ball!" The green attack cuts Liepard's momentum short. Liepard gets up from it with effort.

"Liepard, use Aerial Ace!" Liepard jumps towards Ninetales.

"Now in midair, you can't escape! Ninetales, dish out Flamethrower!" Liepard is toasted by the inevitable move. It faints.

"AND ERNEST TAKES THE UPPER HAND QUICKLY! CAN CHEREN KEEP UP?!"

Cheren calls Liepard back. "Let's go, Haxorus!" Haxorus appears.

"Ninetales, show the power of your Psyshock!" Psychic particles surround and strike Haxorus.

"Haxorus, use Surf!"

"Evade it, Ninetales!" Ninetales makes an incredible leap over the wave. "Strike with Shadow Ball!" The move connects and Haxorus falls off the wave.

"Haxorus, use Rock Slide! Then make the combo!"

"Obliterate the rocks with Psyshock, Ninetales!" But even that attack can only halve the damage of the falling rocks.

But suddenly, Haxorus jumps out from the dust of the destroyed rocks surrounded by an angry aura: It's Outrage. It collides on Ninetales but the Fire type hangs in there.

"Strike again!" Cheren screams.

"Stop it in its tracks with Flamethrower!" But the flames aren't enough to stop Haxorus who traverses them.

"Go!"

"Avoid it and unleash Shadow Ball on its back!" Ninetales dodges Outrage by a hair and places the backstabbing move. Haxorus faints.

"WOW, ANOTHER POKEMON FAINTS! IS EVEN CHEREN'S MIGHT IS INSUFFICIENT AGAINST ERNEST'S NOBLE POKEMON!?"

Cheren calls back Haxorus and sends his strongest Pokémon.

"Let's go, Serperior!" Serperior is sent out.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS THE SERPERIOR THAT MANAGED TO DEFEAT TWO IN A ROW OF BROCK'S POKEMON WHICH WAS ONE OF THE FAVORITES OF THIS TOURNAMENT! CAN SERPERIOR TURN THIS AROUND?!"

"A Serperior? Preposterous! You have no hope of defeating my Ninetales with this."

"… Serperior, Coil!"

"Ha! A sitting duck! Ninetales, bring this joke of a match to a close with your Flamethrower!"

"Now, jump and use Dragon Tail!" The powered up Serperior bounces like a spring over the flames and knocks out the Ninetales with its tail before everyone's stupefaction.

"INCREDIBLE! NO ONE MANAGED TO TRIUMPH OVER THIS NINETALES IN THE WHOLE COMPETITION, AND SERPERIOR MANAGED TO PULL IT OFF!"

"Return to your ball, Ninetales. You earn my praise, trainer. But now, it's over. Come forth, Starmie!" The shining Starmie takes the stage.

"Serperior, Leaf Blade!"

"Evade it!" Starmie dodges by spinning rapidly.

"Dragon Tail!"

"Oppose it with Psychic!" Starmie's gem starts to glow and Serperior's attack is stopped. The Grass type is then trashed around telekinetically.

"Serperior, use Leaf Storm!"

"Hover above it and utilize Ice Beam!" Starmie easily spins over the stormy attack and sends the cold beam on Serperior. Serperior is down.

"Serperior, get up!" Serperior then gets up as best it can. It's surrounded with green energy: It is Overgrow. "Now use Leaf Blade!"

"Put it out with Psychic!"

"Jump as high as you can and switch to Dragon Tail!" The telekinetic grasp misses the opponent, now in midair with Dragon Tail.

"Then send a final Ice Beam!" The beam and the tail get into a deadlock.

Serperior tries to push back Ice Beam as hard as it can but it's slightly losing ground. Cheren then has an idea.

"Push with all your power until the tail is low enough!" Serperior executes the command. "Now, switch to Leaf Storm!" The attack blasts Starmie but it still fires Ice Beam. The clash results in a dust lifting shockwave. When the smoke clears, Serperior is fainted and Starmie is the victor.

"SERPERIOR FOUGHT BRAVELY! BUT STARMIE WINS! SO THE VICTOR AND THE ONE WHO GETS TO FACE TYLER AT THE FINALS IS… ERNEST!"

"Tch! Is that all? I've seen that you are way too soft."

"… What do you mean?" Cheren asks while calling back Serperior.

"You lack coldness. You lack ruthlessness. I can sense your hunger for power deep inside you. Get rid of all useless emotions to become to fill the blanks with power. Then maybe, pathetically weak as you may be; you might have average strength."

"…" (… More power?)

At these words, Ernest leaves behind a perplexed Cheren.

(Whatever, if he swallows this poppycock, then too bad for him. My 'good deed' is done) Ernest thinks.

Suddenly, Ernest finds Tyler blocking his way.

"So we finally meet face to face, 'noble Ernest'. Or should I say Roxie's employer. I know who you really are so let's cut the small talk." Tyler says coldly.

"… I have nothing to say to you… Except that you should lose quickly. The fact that you know so much means that Roxie let the Skitty out of the bag. She will be dealt with later…" Ernest replies, uninterested.

"Do you have any idea what your actions have caused?"

"Am I meant to care? What happens to trash outside Elysium is of no importance to me."

Tyler snaps at this moment and tosses Ernest up against the wall.

"Your actions on the people you call 'trash' have injured people close to me. So now, our battle is personal. I won't hold ANYTHING back! I will defeat you in the most humiliating way and shame you and your pretentious school you fight for in front of a sold-out crowd!" Tyler shouts. Then he drops Ernest and leaves.

(His words worry me a little… No! What am I saying?! Foolishness! I am from Elysium! I have nothing to fear from the trash that dwells outside it!)

Tyler gets back to the locker room.

"Hey Tyler! Do you think you can win against that guy?" Whitney asks.

"… He is really strong. I'll have to go for a total offensive if I want victory. This isn't a match where I'll win by pulling a trick out of my ass. He is an opponent that I have to outfight to win. I'll crush him with all my might."

"Hum, good luck." Daniel says.

"Thanks. Now I have to go prepare my Pokémon for the match." Tyler says. He leaves to a little room to prepare.

Meanwhile the announcer talks to the sold-out crowd.

"THE FINAL MATCH IS IN 10 MINUTES! BECAUSE IT'S THE FINAL MATCH, IT WILL BE A 6 ON 6 BATTLE! WHO WILL WIN THE INTER-HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT AND WALK AWAY WITH THE TROPHY?! DON'T MISS IT TO FIND OUT! *cough**cough*"

Tyler

V.S

Ernest

In 10 minutes they finally face each other. It is time for Tyler Dark to unleash his full power…

**And the chapter covering that duel is next week: The finals. Don't miss out! Until then… See you around!**


	16. The final match

**Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Not me.**

**This is it, Tyler and Ernest duke it out in the final match of the tournament, enjoy…**

**Neutral P.O.V**

It is now 9PM. For all day, all present trainers fought for victory for the school they represent. More and more people live or behind their TV watched more and more as the tournament progressed until they were a sold-out crowd overcapacity or exploding ratings. The cause was the hard fights delivered by all those promising first years. And among all of them, were two particular trainers who managed to make it to the last match. Now, those two are about to be introduced.

"VICTORY HIGH HAD THE MOST CONTESTANTS TO QUALIFY FOR THE SECOND ROUND! BUT ONLY ONE COMPETITOR FROM THERE HAS MANAGED TO MAKE IT THIS FAR! HERE HE IS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! MAKING HIS WAY FROM VICTORY HIGH, HE IS ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING FIRST YEARS OVER THERE; HE IS KNOWN FOR HIS VARIOUS MAD SKILLS WITH A CERTAIN FIRE TYPE WHICH WARRANTED HIM THE TITLE OF THE ARCANINE BOY, .TYLER DARK!"

Tyler enters the arena. His objective is clear: make Ernest pay for what he did, ridicule him in front of the crowd and viewers in a way that will make him and Elysium look bad and of course, win the tournament. However it's easier said than done. Like he told his friends, Ernest would not be defeated with a last resort stunt; Tyler needs to be the stronger of the two. That's it. But Tyler has good credentials for this match: He is strong enough to give even adults trouble, he lost a number of times in his 15 years that can be counted on the fingers of only one hand, and those people were guys like The Coach, who is regarded as an 'overpowered hack' of a trainer. It does seem like he has his chances.

But his opponent is from Elysium, he can't let his guard down. Here he comes.

"AND HIS OPPONENT, THE ONLY REPRESENTATIVE OF ELYSIUM, ONLY ONE POKEMON ON HIS TEAM HAS BEEN DEFEATED IN THE WHOLE TOURNAMENT AND HE IS NOW AT THE LAST FIGHT OF THE COMPETITION! HE HAS YET TO SHOW ANY SIGNS OF EFFORT TO DEFEAT HIS OPPONENTS, PLEASE WELCOME THE RESPECTABLE FIRST YEAR, ERNEST!"

Ernest is out of the honorary box and descends on the stage.

(I am mostly happy to finally finish this joke of a tournament. The cheers and shouts of these filthy primitives get on my nerves and health. I only fought trash too.)

Tyler and Ernest exchange a few words before the fight.

"… Know that I always keep my promises." Tyler throws.

"Come then, do your worst." Ernest replies.

"THIS WILL BE A 6 ON 6 BATTLE! GET READY!"

Both fighters reach for their Poké balls.

"Arcanine, full power!" Arcanine emits waves of heat as it comes out of its ball.

(How foolish to send your strongest first. This will be easy.)

"Come forth, Ninetales!" The magnificent Ninetales enters the scene.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Arcanine, use Wild Charge!" Ninetales gets plowed violently.

"Ninetales, make use of your Shadow Ball!"

"Crush it with Crunch!" Arcanine deletes the Shadow Ball like it was Pokémon food.

"Tch!"

"Arcanine, use Wild Charge again!" Arcanine charges once more but stops suddenly when it notices the various particles surrounding it. "That's…"

"Yes! It is Psyshock! Now, Ninetales, unleash it!" The psychic particles strike Arcanine.

"Arcanine, get up and use Close Combat!"

"Don't let it happen! Use Energy Ball!" Even if the move has a type disadvantage, it sure packs a punch on Arcanine who falls again. "It seems you won't be able to keep THIS promise." Ernest mocks Tyler.

"Not sure about that! Get up and use Wild Charge!"

"Burn it to finish with your Flamethrower!"

"Now is the chance! Switch to Overheat!" The two fire attacks collide but Overheat slowly consumes Flamethrower. "Now use Wild Charge through the flames!" Arcanine gorges itself of flames with Flash Fire and keeps charging towards Ninetales.

"Ninetales, silence it with Shadow Ball!" The black ball hits Arcanine but it still hits Ninetales full force. Ninetales is thrust up in the air by the impact.

"Jump up and use Close Combat!" Arcanine leaps to Ninetales' level. The clobbering then happens.

"Grrr!"

"Now finish with Crunch!" Arcanine bites by the neck and slams the beautiful Pokémon down to the ground. It faints. "See? Don't worry, I'll make it quick." Tyler mocks Ernest.

"Get back, Ninetales! You earn praise, trash. You have beaten my second strongest Pokémon with only one. But how long can you keep this up?"

Arcanine was still a bit winded.

"Thanks, Arcanine!" Tyler calls back Arcanine to use it again later.

"Come forth, Starmie!" The shining Starmie appears.

"Luxray, full power!" Luxray is fired up as it comes out.

"AFTER PULLING A SINGLE HANDED VICTORY ON ERNEST'S NINETALES, HOW IS TYLER GOING TO CONTINUE DEFYING THE ODDS NOW?"

"Starmie, Hydro Pump!"

"Luxray, Charge Beam!" The two straight attacks collide to an even level. But Luxray seems to have powered up from that.

"Starmie, expose your Ice Beam!"

"Dodge that and use Thunderbolt!" It hits Starmie. The damage is significant.

"Starmie, retaliate with Hydro Pump!"

"Avoid it and use Thunderbolt again!"

"Evade it!" Starmie spins out of the way.

"Luxray, rush in with Crunch!"

"Don't let it close in with Power Gem!" The attack hits Luxray before it could harm Starmie.

"Then switch to Dig!" Luxray buries itself.

"…"

"Attack now!" Luxray hits Starmie successfully as it surfaces. Both Pokémon are propelled in the air.

"Slam it to the surface with Psychic!" The telekinetic force throws Luxray on the floor. "Combine with Power gem!" The attack hits the Electric type who had yet to get back up. "Shower it with Hydro Pump!" Luxray takes another attack and is drenched. "And finish with Ice Beam!"

"Luxray, dodge now!" But Luxray can't dodge completely. It gets frozen a little on the side.

"You still plan to fight with it? It seems to be out of shape."

"Damn! Thanks, Luxray. Absol, full power!" Luxray is called back and Absol makes a vicious entrance.

"You won't be able to defeat Starmie. It is guaranteed."

"Absol, use X-Scissor!" Starmie is hit viciously.

"Starmie, Hydro Pump!" Absol is hit. "Now add your Ice Beam!"

"Cut it with Psycho Cut!" But Ice Beam is stronger and hits Absol, albeit its damage reduced. "Charge at it with Night Slash!"

"Blow it away with your Power Gem!" But the Dark type attack viciously pierces through and both attacks cancel out. But at this distance, Starmie is at Absol's mercy.

"Finish it with Night Slash!" The vicious slash doesn't forgive. Starmie faints.

"EVEN WITH 3 HALF BAKED POKEMON, TYLER HOLDS ON! BUT ERNEST STILL HAS 4 POKEMON IN FULL HEALTH! CAN TYLER KEEP DOING THE UNPRECEDENTED?!"

(To lose two Pokémon to such filth! I cannot afford to lose any more Pokémon. I must absolutely not look like I'm having trouble.)

"Get back, Starmie! You made it far but I will now sweep all your 6 Pokémon! You will lose! You shall not dishonor Elysium!"

"Don't talk. Just fight."

"Tch! Come forth, Lopunny!" A gracious Lopunny is summoned.

"Absol, use Swords Dance!" Absol sharpens viciously.

"Lopunny, try Dizzy Punch!"

"Absol, Psycho Cut!" The cut counters Lopunny viciously.

"Lopunny, administer Double Hit!"

"Absol, block with Night Slash!" The hits of Lopunny and Absol's vicious slashes counter each other to a stalemate.

"Lopunny, speed up with your Quick Attack!" The attack hits Absol before it could do anything. "Now, distribute your mighty Jump Kick!" The super effective kick sends Absol flying. It crashes near Tyler's feet.

Tyler whispers in Absol's ears.

"Go. No restraints. Unleash your viciousness to the maximum!" Those words must've acted like a switch, because Absol suddenly got back up at lightning speed. It now gives a viciously scary glare to its opponent.

"Gh! Lopunny, bring a closure with Jump Kick once again!"

"Absol, duck!" Lopunny misses miserably and crashes on the floor. It writhes in pain.

"Lopunny, rise!"

"Nope. Absol, finish with Superpower." Absol utterly squashes Lopunny's skull under its paw with a vicious violence. It's fainted.

"INCREDIBLE! AND TYLER HASN'T LOST A SINGLE POKEMON! EVEN IF 3 OF THEM HAVE LOST A LOT OF STRENGHT, TYLER HAS YET TO SHOW HIS 3 OTHER POKEMON! NEVER HAS ERNEST BEEN PUSHED SO FAR SINCE THE COMPETITION STARTED! BUT HE IS LARGELY ABLE TO REVERSE THE SITUATION!"

(Is it a nightmare? He might be stronger than most others but to beat three of MY Pokémon? It's not possible! But luckily, I still can reverse this as long as I have 'it'. But using it would prove that I am cornered, and that is not good.)

"Come forth, Chandelure!" Ernest's Chandelure makes an appearance.

(This is bad; his Chandelure is strong enough to blow away all my remaining Pokémon in about one hit. Better take it down quick.)

"Absol, use Night Slash!" The vicious slash does important damage, but Chandelure hangs on solidly.

"Chandelure, give it hell with Inferno!" The hellish flames hit Absol. Absol escapes from the fire but is definitely burned.

"Thanks, Absol. Luxray, full power!" Absol comes back and Luxray returns to the battle, it has recovered a little.

"Chandelure, unleash your Inferno once more!"

"Dodge it and use Thunderbolt!" Luxray avoids the flames and zaps Chandelure. But Chandelure is still in shape.

"Drown it in the despair of Shadow Ball!"

"Counter that with Charge Beam!" Shadow Ball passes through the beam and still hit Luxray. Luxray is beginning to tire; it can't take too many of those.

"Energy Ball now, Chandelure!"

"Luxray, avoid with Dig!" Luxray hides underground.

"…"

"Now, hit it!" Luxray surfaces and heads towards Chandelure like a torpedo. But Chandelure just doesn't want to go down.

"Now, curse it with Will-O-Wisp!" The embers burn Luxray. It's close to fainting.

"No! Luxray, hang in there and use Crunch!" Luxray catches Luxray and crushes Chandelure with its fangs. It faints. But at a price. Luxray hangs on as best it can.

"AND ERNEST LOSES ANOTHER POKEMON! BUT BOTH ABSOL AND LUXRAY ARE REALLY WEAKENED! BUT IF TYLER WERE TO WIN, THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME IN A VERY LONG TIME THAT A SCHOOL OTHER THAN ELYSIUM WINS THAT TOURNAMENT!"

"Get back, Chandelure!"

"Thanks, Luxray!" Both are called back.

"Come forth, Roserade!" An appealingly beautiful Roserade enters the field.

"Arcanine, full power!" Arcanine, who recovered a little after its battle with Ninetales, reappears hot as ever.

"Roserade, use Sludge Bomb!"

"Arcanine, dodge at all costs!" Arcanine jumps on the side and avoids the Poison.

"Roserade, change the flavor to Shadow Ball!"

"Jump over it immediately!"

"Send another Shadow Ball!"

"Destroy it with Crunch! Then use it on Roserade!" Arcanine almost eats up the attack and charges towards Roserade.

"Don't let it come any closer! Use Extrasensory!" Arcanine is then bent by a mysterious force and pushed back.

(I can't close in? How can I get close enough? Damn!)

"Arcanine, snap out of it!"

"Add some more with Magical Leaf!" The leaves damage Arcanine even further.

"Damn!"

"Now Roserade, bring the finale with Sludge Bomb!"

(Now's my chance!)

"Arcanine, jump all the way in front of Roserade!" Arcanine leaps in one jump in front of the Grass type, who just sent Sludge Bomb on the place Arcanine was before. It doesn't have enough time to switch to another move. "Now, use Overheat!" Taking a line of fire too big for even Arcanine's mouth at point blank range with a type advantage from Tyler's strongest Pokémon wasn't the best thing for Roserade who faints in one hit.

That's it. Ernest was pushed back to only one Pokémon left for the first time in a 6 on 6. People in the crowd were starting to speak amongst themselves, they started to doubt. They started to doubt Ernest's skill, Elysium's might. It was exactly as Tyler wanted. He still has 3 Pokémon unused, and, even injured, his 3 other Pokémon were still not defeated. So basically, Tyler still had 6 Pokémon left while Ernest had only one. However…

"You… Say how about you join Elysium after this tournament? I can ask my higher-ups about it." Ernest suddenly asks, restraining his hate for Tyler.

"…" Tyler lifts an eyebrow.

"Or let me win. You should try to force yourself to lose to me. You pushed me this far so you should be satisfied, right?"

"…"

If you push any further, you might have trouble later. You have no idea what level of importance Elysium carries. The badder the image you cause Elysium to have, the worst it will come back to haunt you later." There wasn't a hint of confidence in Ernest's voice anymore.

"Are you done?"

"Well, if you join Elysium, our problems will be resolved. Besides, you want to get stronger, right?"

"… Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Tyler couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't hold back his laughter.

"What?"

"I don't give a damn about Elysium or becoming strong in the same school of scum like you. Besides, I'd really like to see your shitty school's reputation weep after I mop the floor with you. Now shut up and take the beating like a man."

(… With my last Pokémon, I can't possibly lose! But to be pushed back this far… It's the biggest humiliation of my life! You'll pay!)

"Then if you refuse… I WON'T HESITATE! REGRET YOUR FOOLISHNESS!" Ernest says, with his composure in pieces. He sends his Poké Ball and a Phione comes out.

The crowd goes silent.

"INCREDIBLE, THE POWER OF STUDENTS OF ELYSIUM IS BEYOND IMAGINATION! ERNEST JUST SENT OUT A PHIONE, WHICH IS A COUSIN OF THE LEGENDARY MANAPHY! IMPOSSIBLE! TYLER IS ONE POKEMON AWAY FROM VICTORY, BUT HIS LAST OBSTACLE IS A POKEMON OF THIS LEVEL?!"

(I see why he would be reticent to send it. If I somehow defeat that one, then I would spread the image to the public 'That Elysium guy lost even after using a legendary'. It's even worse if I don't need all 6 Pokémon to do so. Such a defeat would deal a serious blow to those bastards. But can I win? I don't consider myself strong enough to take on one of those pseudo-legendaries just yet and I have to take THIS down with injured Pokémon? Well, I need a challenge once in a while. Let's do this!)

"Thanks, Arcanine! Luxray, full power!" Luxray comes back in the battle. It's still a lot tired though. And burned.

"Let the sweep begin!" Ernest confidently says. But he still knows everything is on the line.

"I'd like to see you try. Luxray, Charge Beam!" The move hits. But the damage is almost insignificant. "Then strike harder! Use Thunderbolt!" The move does a lot more damage. But Phione is still kicking.

"Enough of this, use Water Pulse!" The attack knocks Luxray out instantly.

"AND EVEN WITH A TYPE ADVANTAGE, LUXRAY IS DISPOSED OFF EFFORTLESSLY! IS IT THE TURNING OF THE TIDE FOR ERNEST?!"

"Thanks, Luxray. Absol, full power!" Absol still gives vicious glares as it comes out, even burned.

"Too easy, Phione, Water Pulse!"

"Dodge, use Swords Dance and use Night Slash!" Absol dodges, sharpens and strikes Phione. All of that viciously.

"Attempt an Ice Beam then!"

"Duck under it and send it a Psycho Cut!" Too weak because of the burns to dodge in a mainstream way, Absol ducks then uses the energy blade that hits Phione viciously. But Phione doesn't look too fazed.

"It's too weak to dodge! Retire it with Water Pulse!"

"Smash through everything with Superpower! Let's go!" The sphere of Water is barely smashed and the vicious paw hammers in the face of Phione. But Phione is STILL relatively fine. Maybe because Absol's halved offensive power because of the burns resulted in insufficient damage; or simply because Phione is THAT powerful.

"Phione, Signal Beam!" It's over for Absol who takes it head-on. It faints.

"AND PHIONE RAKES ANOTHER VICTORY! IT SEEMS ERNEST CAN STILL WIN THIS!"

(That buffoon of an announcer is getting on my nerves. Of course, I'll win. However…)

(However, I have pulled that Ernest bastard where I wanted. If he somehow wins, his victory will be viewed as 'cheap' by the crowd. So he and his school will look bad. But if he loses, the public would think that even though he was said strong by everyone, he couldn't even beat me with a Pokémon almost regarded as legendary. In fact, just sending it out shows everyone that he's been driven to a corner. Either way, he and his shitty school will be shamed.)

Effectively, there were whispers among the crowd as Ernest and Tyler were thinking. But still, Tyler intends to walk out of this victorious.

"Arcanine, full power!" Arcanine roars ferociously despite its injuries. "Arcanine, listen. We may be way out of our league against a Pokémon close to legendary status. I know you had trouble against Ninetales and Roserade; but I need your power again. Even with all the disadvantages you have against a Phione, don't give up, don't worry, I'm with you. I want you to go in an all-out, unrestrained, total offensive. Let's show him why I am called the Arcanine boy. For our dream, our friends and to crush this bastard, unleash!" (For her sake too.)

*Whaouh* Arcanine growls in determination in response to his master's, his best friend's wishes. The Fire type was renewed. Even though one Water type attack from Phione would blow all of those feelings away.

"So you talked to your Pokémon to motivate it? Pathetic and useless! When I am done beating that Pokémon in one attack, I'll sweep the rest of your team out of this competition.

"You are blind and stupid."

"?"

"Asshole! I'll show you here and now, why: I… Am… Better… Than… You!"

"Impudent!"

At those words, the clash restarted.

"Arcanine, use Crunch!"

"Phione, use Water Pulse!"

"Jump over it and use it!" Arcanine chomps at Phione's horn. It then slams it down. HARD.

"Immobilize it with Ice Beam!"

"Jump over it and give it your strongest Close Combat!" The clobbering of the century then took place. Arcanine was actually hitting harder than its attack power allowed it to. Even with its defenses lowered by the attack, Arcanine still hangs on. But one Water Pulse or any other attack on it would mark the end of the fight for the Fire type.

It looks like Phione was felled by Close Combat. But…

Phione's eyes shine with a white light through the smoke. Just how much was needed to take it down?

"Phione, Signal Beam!"

"Let's finish this! Dodge and Close in!" Arcanine evades the attack and approaches Phione dangerously.

"You can't miss! Phione, nip this fight in the bud with Water Pulse!"

"Counter it with Overheat! Maximum temperature!" The clash creates steam but Water Pulse is stronger and passes through. It's about to hit Arcanine.

"It's over for Arcanine! Repent, you trash!"

"Not if I have a say in this! Arcanine, plow through with Wild Charge!" Arcanine is in great pain and on the verge of fainting as it gets drenched by the attack. However, weakened by Overheat and the electricity of Wild Charge, Water Pulse isn't fatal and Arcanine passes through it and hits Phione with all the strength it has left.

*KSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHS*

A shockwave ensues and smoke is lifted.

The smoke clears.

The Pokémon that fainted was… Both Pokémon! But that means Phione was defeated.

Wild Charge finally brought down the Pokémon with powers that were said to be nearly legendary. Thanks to Crunch earlier lowering Phione's defenses, such a feat could be accomplished.

Finally realizing what's been going on, the announcer finally speaks.

"BOTH POKEMON ARE UNABLE TO BATTLE! BUT BECAUSE TYLER STILL HAS THREE POKEMON LEFT, THE VICTORY GOES TO TYLER DARK! THIS ALSO MEANS THAT TYLER OF VICTORY HIGH IS THE WINNER OF THE FIRST YEARS DIVISION INTER-HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT!" The crowd starts screaming like Loudred. They then all chant Tyler's name.

Tyler has won.

Ernest has been defeated.

But more importantly… The inter-high school tournament has ended. Under Victory high's name for the first time in years…

Mad Skills...

**To be continued…**

**Next week. Hope you enjoyed.**


	17. The results of the victory

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**I'm back. And Tyler won his battle along with the tournament. But is it really over? Find out now…**

**Neutral P.O.V**

The final match of the inter high school tournament has ended. Tyler is the victor. There is no excuse; it was a clean fight. Tyler Dark came off as the better trainer. That's all.

Completely dumbfounded, Ernest falls on his knees. Tyler approaches him under the cheering crowd.

"How? How could I, who am from the best school of the best, lose like this? I don't understand." Ernest squeals in disbelief.

"I already told you why. I'm just better than you." Tyler replies mercilessly.

"Damn you! You can't be this strong! You aren't even from Elysium! You couldn't possibly reach a level to beat my Phione along with my entire team! At least not with only three Pokémon out of your team of six!"

"Oh! About that… I'll let you in on a secret."

"?!"

"Arcanine, Luxray and Absol are the only Pokémon I have. I entered this 6 on 6 with my only 3 Pokémon." Tyler reveals. Ernest stays silent.

"NO! IMPOSSIBLE! How did I lose to someone like that?!" He finally says, humiliated and skeptical.

"Don't be surprised! When you have less Pokémon to train, you become stronger faster. I intended to enlarge my team, but I couldn't find good Pokémon to catch in time for the tournament." Tyler says, unnaturally relaxed. "But still, that doesn't explain why I beat you with only 3 Pokémon when you almost one shot the all your other opponents."

"?"

"Roxie said that people like her are sent to make sure all strong trainers are eliminated before they face the Elysium contestants, right?"

"… What of it?"

"How can you have, no matter how unfairly strong you are, enough experience of facing strong opponents, if all you face are small fries? Even if it is to make your school look good, I don't think it's worth it. I wouldn't be surprised if you said I was the strongest opponent you faced in your life. However, I admit that if you didn't follow that system, I would've lost, no matter the number of Pokémon I have."

"…"

"But thanks to that, I beat you with my 3 stars. Even if we both have lost all our Pokémon, I still win because I used less Pokémon in the fight, hehehe!" Tyler starts mocking. "But to the Elysium students watching your match who are unaware of it, you lost badly when I still have 3 other Pokémon. Your school must be ashamed, and they will have you to thank for it. Hahaha! Come on; don't make that face, Ernest. I'm sure you don't suck that much! GHAHAHA!" Tyler ridicules Ernest cruelly.

"…"

"Well… I'm done here, see ya!"

"…" Ernest says nothing. He gets up and leaves. When he is out of sight of everyone, he falls to the ground and screams like a child doing a tantrum. All noble personable he once had is gone.

After getting congratulated by his friends, Tyler is called on stage…

"AND HERE IS YOUR WINNER, THE CONTESTANT WHO TOSSED ASIDE ALL THE OTHERS TO CLAIM THE TITLE OF CHAMPION OF THE FIRST YEAR INTER HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT, TYLER DARK FROM VICTORY HIGH!" The crowd cheers as Tyler walks in.

The confetti start to fall. The announcer gives the trophy to Tyler.

"Tyler! How did you manage to pull off the unprecedented by defeating a member of Elysium?" The announcer interviews Tyler with a calm voice for once.

"I did not win by chance. I just won 'cause I got Mad Skills!"

The crowd shouts Tyler's name to the champion's words. Tyler's friends then come on stage with The Coach to congratulate the champion again. It was at that moment that Tyler saw a pleasant thing. Skyna was leaning against Mr. Damian to come see Tyler.

She smiles to him.

"AND THE TOURNAMENT IS OFFICIALLY OVER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! HOPE YOU ENJOYED AND SEE YOU SOON!"

And thus, the first year inter high school tournament, drew to a close…

But is everything over?

Ernest is outside the arena in the cold night winds of December. He walks away, returning to his school to wash away the humiliation. But that seems unlikely… Because flaming fangs suddenly grab him at the waist. It hurts, it burns.

Arcanine then tosses Ernest on the ground like trash. Ernest turns his head to see the champion with his loyal partner.

"Wh… Why?" Ernest says, in pain.

"Did you really think humiliating you and your school was enough for me? You still got to pay for what you did to my friends. I won't show any mercy." Tyler says with a look of scorn.

"No… Please… It was all… Roxie's fault…" Ernest cowardly answers while twisting on the ground painfully.

"Really? Weren't you the one who sent her in the first place?" Tyler mockingly asks. You must pay too. Don't worry though, I already dealt with her. She burned well you know." Tyler shows a scary smile.

Ernest is starting to panic. But his burns prevent him from moving.

"I'm done talking. Arcanine, Overheat!" The blast of flames head for Ernest.

But something that looks like a Pokémon suddenly catches the Elysium student before the flames hit. It then gives Ernest to a shadow in the night that looks like a trainer. The lack of light prevents Tyler from seeing the mysterious trainer. But he then realizes he is not alone, and one of them has Roxie in his arms. Roxie is unconscious and has a few burns on her clothes and body.

"Who the hell are you guys?!" Tyler asks.

"Wow, you really are ruthless! You really arranged that sucker Ernest!" Says the voice of the guy holding Ernest. "Guess you really are the champ. But we'll be taking Ernest."

"I'm not done with him! Hand him over!"

"Looks like you're letting your little victory go to your head." Answers another voice from the four trainers.

"You'll eat those words! Arcanine, attack!"

"Tyler!" Everyone is interrupted by the arrival of Tyler's friends and Jack. They all call their Pokémon and attack the mysterious trainers that are seemingly threatening Tyler.

"Arcanine, use Overheat!"

"Electivire, use Thunder!"

"Rhyperior, use Rock Wrecker!"

"Miltank, Rollout!"

"Serperior, use Leaf Storm!"

"Samurott, Aqua Tail!"

"Golduck, Hydro Pump!"

"Magnezone, use Flash Cannon!"

"Bibarel, Take Down!"

The four answered with their own Pokémon.

"… Pathetic."

"You trash are way out of your league."

"Oh brother! Why are they so touchy?"

"… Hmph!"

The fight lasted 15 seconds and was so one-sided that it made almost all the fights up to now seem like child's play. Tyler and the rest have been utterly defeated. The blast of attacks was so strong that it made everyone except Tyler (Barely) lose consciousness. Tyler is on the ground and sees one of the 4 mysterious trainers take Roxie away.

"You bastards. Where… Are you taking her?" Tyler says, barely conscious.

"Oh! You're still awake, Mr. Champ? Well, she kinda failed so we need to take her for 'punishment'." The guy holding Ernest talks.

"Just when I thought I was rid of that bitch amateur Poison Type user. Sheesh!" The girl of the group sighs.

"Who are you bastards?" Tyler asks.

"Well, we're from Elysium too. We came to participate to the second year and third year tournament held tomorrow and the day after. But today, we came to get Ernest, and we saw you mauling the dude." The guy holding Ernest says disinterestedly.

"Now, away with you!" Says the third guy of the group before ordering his Pokémon to finish them.

A Hyper Beam seemed to be prepared but…

"Conkeldurr, use Superpower!" A sort of lariat arm sweeps easily the 3 trainers' Pokémon.

That Conkeldurr belonged to an overpowered teacher: The Coach. Skyna was walking at his side.

"Yo lil punk ass bitches! Scram or I'll fuck y'all shit up!" He is angry.

"Why you… I'll teach you a lesson!" The girl says.

"Wait, Janine! It's the man they call The Coach! If you go against him, he'll beat all of us without breaking a sweat."

"Don't be stupid! He's not from Elysium! He can't beat us!"

"I swear his abilities are NOT normal! Don't attack; we got what we came here for. So let's retreat!"

"Grrr!"

"Ready or not… Imma whoop all yo asses!"

"I prefer not. Let's go, Pidgeot! Get us outta here! Oh! And Tyler, see ya!" They then left at lightning speed.

"Hmph, buncha pussies!" The Coach says, disappointed.

But at any rate, the battle was over for now…

Three days later,

Elysium dominated the two other competitions and emerged victorious. The only resistance was met by a second year fire type user and the president of the student council. Both from Victory High. But still, Tyler Dark's overwhelming victory against Elysium for the first years has dealt Elysium a more serious blow than it seems. Aspirations to join Victory High from the middle schoolers after seeing the competition is on the rise. Some who wanted to apply for Elysium even changed their minds. It seems at least a part of Tyler's goal was realized without him even realizing it.

Meanwhile, in Rock Academy, sore losers were everywhere. It was justified, for the first time in the history of that school of delinquents, someone from there made it to the second round. Only for Klancy and Ratzky to be eliminated by guys from Victory High. So that school was the first object of hate in the playground. Maybe that would profit for the guy who intruded in that school of delinquents.

"I heard Ratzky was defeated! You must all be pissed!" Yells a certain someone.

Everybody hanging around turned to glare at him with a threatening aura.

"Hoho! Calm down! I came just to talk!"

"We have nothing to say ta some prissy kid from that bastard school Elysium!" Says the biggest third year who seems to be their boss.

"Ok! Maybe we look down on you like trash sometimes but we're cool, right? I came to make a proposal."

"Wadja saying? Don't look down on us, I'll kill ya!" Answers an ugly little guy who looks like he is the leader's underling.

"…" He is knocked out suddenly by a Pidgeot. The Elysium guy then turns back to the leader.

"What? What do you want?" Asks the leader, scared.

"Like I said, I'm here to make a proposal to the students of the entire school."

"What is it?"

"You hate Victory High, right? Then Elysium is ready to give you its full support to get revenge on them."

"Are you serious? What can you do for us?"

"We'll help you plan a revenge attack on them in the following months and we'll power you up. Hell, we'll even train you if it's necessary."

"So you'll give us power to get back at those bastards? Sounds rad!"

"So it's a deal?" The Elysium guy says while stretching his hand forward.

"Deal! By the way, what's yer name?" The big guy grins. He shakes his hand strongly.

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that! I am called Falkner!" The Elysium guy grins back.

Something ominous can be felt in the air…

During that time at Elysium, screams of pain could be heard.

"GWAAAAAAAAHH!" Roxie screamed in the electric jaws of Eelektross.

"Do you realize what your failure has caused? Our school's invincible reputation has been tarnished! How do you plan to make up for it?" A voice asks.

"GAAAHHH! Please… Give me… One more chance. Just give me more power! It's all Tyler Dark's fault… If it wasn't for him… I would've succeeded!"

"Oh? You want more power? But you failed so you don't deserve it. However, I learned just now that we are backed by Rock Academy. If you want a chance to redeem yourself, then go assist our next plan and go get treatment. I'm feeling generous today."

"I won't… Waste this chance, my lord."

The man makes a sign and the Eelektross lets go of Roxie. She pathetically crawls to the power up items the man has thrown on the floor.

"Make good use of these rare power-up items. You won't get a second chance. Now, be gone!"

"Yes, my lord!" Roxie says before leaving on all fours, too weakened to walk.

"… Pathetic trash. But that nuisance… Tyler Dark… Hmmm…."

The gears of fate are moving…

Behind the school of Victory High, Tyler is walking in the forest of the hill with his Arcanine. He became even more popular in the school grounds. He sits on a bush and Arcanine cuddles up to him.

"There sure are a lot of strong trainers out there. We should train harder to not get left behind." Tyler says, petting it.

"You think it's that easy?" A voice says.

"Oh! It's you. How are you doing?"

"Quite fine thank you!" Skyna answers.

"How did you know where I'd be?"

"You always go there when you want to think about stuff."

Tyler was about to answer but something jumps at him from the bushes.

"What?"

A wild Litleo appears. Arcanine quickly defends its master from the attack. Arcanine is not even fazed. A wild Pokémon can't possibly stand a chance against the first year champ. Litleo uses Noble Roar but Arcanine yawns from the Pokémon's inability to hurt it. It then takes Litleo and throws it in the air. Bruised and weakened, Litleo still gets up and glares at Arcanine with a 'never say die' attitude. Tyler grins seeing this. He sends a Poké Ball immediately. It clicks.

"You caught it? Why?"

"I liked its expression so I want him to increase my team's potential." Tyler replies while picking up the ball.

"Tyler, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you get so angry for me at the tournament when Roxie poisoned me? You even swore vengeance on my bed."

"What are you saying? I just hated the fact that that bitch would get her way. So I got pissed." He says turning his back.

"Is that only why?"

"Yeah, what else could it be?"

"I… See…" Skyna answers seemingly disappointed.

"But…"

"?"

"I love to annoy you, tease you, make you angry or drive you crazy…"

"…"

"But…" He turns to face her. "I DON'T want to see you suffer like you did."

"Why would you feel that? Why go this far for me? And Roxie hasn't been seen since the tournament. Don't hide it! I know you did something to her after your match, I'm sure of it!"

"Because your pain makes me suffer too! I don't know why! As for me going this far for you, I don't know either since I used to think of you as nothing more than a pain in the butt! How did you manage to mean something to me after that is something to which I have no idea."

"Really?"

"Really. I don't think I can give you a clear explanation." He says while coming just in front of her.

"I also wanted you to know… That I don't endorse that burst of violence on Roxie… But… No one ever got this angry on my behalf. So it made me… A little happy.

"Oh! Good to know..."

They get closer. Their faces get closer. Their lips get closer.

"BOO-YA!" Whitney shouts from out of nowhere.

The two separate from each other at the last second and look around nonchalantly as the arriving Whitney looks at them suspiciously.

"Did I interrupt something?" She teasingly asks.

"NO!" Both answer.

Brock, Cheren and Bianca then come too.

"Come on guys, class is restarting soon!" Brock says.

"…"

"Yes, The Coach is so merciless when he spots someone who's late." Bianca moans.

And so, everyone runs for class. Except Cheren who stares at the horizon before coming along.

(… Power, huh?)

…

Inside Victory High, someone is watching by the window.

"Mr. President, here is the report on the whole tournament."

"I see. So this first year managed to win while I and a second year couldn't. Impressive."

"His name is Tyler Dark. He is the strongest first year we have. His victory caused more affluence for next year."

"So that means Elysium's affluence has decreased, huh?

"… Hum, probably, yes. But with due respect, what does this have to do with Elysium?"

"Oh! Nothing. Don't let it worry you. Do I still have a lot of work?"

"There are still all those thousands of files to sort."

"Understood…"

(… Tyler Dark, huh? Guess I'll pay him a visit before the end of this year. I'm curious…)

**And this ends the inter high school tournament arc. If you liked, you can give a review. The Arcanine boy will return next week. A new day brings new adventures…**


	18. New challenges part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon. **

**I'm back with another chapter, a new adventure begins…**

**Neutral P.O.V**

The month of April is nearing its end. A warm environment has been restored. Everyone is relaxing in the playground. Peace is back in Victory High. After all, it's been five months since the inter high school tournament has ended.

Lots of things have changed… The school's little victory caused a lot of applications for Victory High next year. Some students even transferred during the current year. The school who was considered second only to Elysium gained a lot more prestige. And all that was thanks to a certain boy with an Arcanine.

Three first years are discussing among themselves during recess.

"You wanna be a top trainer here?! You gotta be kidding!" A first boy shouts.

"Your Pokémon are far too weak! Normal Types suck, man!" A second boy adds.

"Oh, shut up! With willpower and hard work, I can be strong too!" The third boy answers.

"What a load of crap! You always lose to us when we battle!" The first one retorts.

"And he is stronger than me! And I can still beat you easily!" The second one agrees with the first.

"Hey, aren't we pals? You could at least encourage me! I'll get better, you'll see!" The third defends himself.

But the other two laugh it off while he desperately tries to show his value. But he stops when he notices something terrifying behind the two and turns pale.

"Oy, what's wrong with you?" The first asks.

"Ty… Ty… Ty…"

They turn to see a tall boy their age. He is wearing a black and orange trainer outfit and has a chestnut colored ponytail that passes through the gap of his cap. His light brown eyes look at them.

"W-what do you want?" The second asks.

"It's bad to diss Pokémon teams because of their type. You shouldn't say these kind of things, it's the trainer using them that the power depends on anyway."

"What does it have to do with you?! We're right anyway!" The second replies harshly.

"If you have a problem with what we say then I'll take you on in a fight!" The first says.

"Yeah, what he said!"

The boy dressed in black grins hearing that.

"Bring it on! I'm in the mood for a fight! Hell, I'll even use normal types that you diss so much."

"Then you'll lose! I challenge you to a double battle!" The first shouts.

"But you shouldn't challenge him! It's Ty…"

The third is interrupted by the second.

"Just shut up and watch! You'll get our point soon enough!"

"Just to warn you, though. I don't know who you are, but I did a lot of battling and I just reached the terrifying level of… Rank B!"

The boy dressed in black then stays quiet and expressionless like he just heard the stupidest thing of the year.

The first then sends out his two Pokémon.

"Hitmonchan, Primeape, go!"

"Litleo, Eevee, full power!" Two Pokémon come out.

"You're just sending this? This'll be easy!"

"Against someone of your level, it's far enough."

"Grrr! You'll eat those words!"

The battle starts.

"Hitmonchan, use Mach Punch on Eevee!"

"Eevee, dodge with Quick Attack! Litleo, use Flamethrower on Primeape!"

Eevee avoids the punch attack by a hair and Litleo torches Primeape.

"Hitmonchan, use Thunder Punch on Eevee! Primeape, use Close Combat on Litleo!"

"Eevee, duck under it and use Shadow Ball on Hitmonchan! Litleo, dodge and hit Primeape with Flame Charge!"

Eevee gets just a little under Thunder Punch before dishing out a Shadow Ball at point blank range. On its side, Litleo evades the clobbering with the ever speed increasing fire attack and hits Primeape violently. They both fall to the ground.

The sight was incredible; the little ones are one-sidedly dominating the big ones.

"So, are you giving up? I think I proved my point."

"No! You will bite the dust, just you wait!"

"Geez! I thought you would give up when you've realized the difference in ability and exactly who you were dealing with, but it seems you're one of those guys that just don't get it."

"I don't care! Let's finish this!"

"Fine then."

"Hitmonchan, use Sky Uppercut on Eevee! Primeape, use Giga Impact on Litleo!"

"Eevee, Litleo, switch targets! Eevee, use Return on Primeape! Litleo, use Flamethrower on Hitmonchan!"

Eevee gets out of the trajectory of Sky Uppercut and hits Primeape in the back as it was headed for Litleo. Litleo takes advantage of the fact that Hitmonchan is in midair to roast it with fire. Both Fighting types faint. The match is over.

"Wh-what? He… Lost?" The second says.

(I knew it! It can only be him!) The third boy thinks.

"N-no! I demand a rematch!" The sore loser demands.

"You still don't get it do you? What a thickhead!" The trainer sighs while calling back the two Pokémon. "Arcanine, full power!" An Arcanine comes out with a roar so powerful that the two boys realize immediately how helpless they are before it.

"W-who the hell are you?!" They both ask, terrified.

"That's what I was trying to tell you! That guy is Tyler Dark, The Arcanine Boy! The only one to have beaten a student of Elysium! The elite of all the first years! You guys never stood a chance!" The third boy finally says.

"At last! I seem to be known by some people at least!" Tyler sighs again with a smile.

"…" The two leave quietly, humbled.

"You see, dude? Keep in mind that it doesn't matter what type you use; you can always pull it off if you have…"

"Mad Skills!" They say together.

The boy then thanks Tyler and leaves. Recess is almost over…

"Impressive performance, really. But now, let's see how well you'll do against us." A voice says.

Two older looking guys come near Tyler.

"I've never seen you before. Who are you guys?"

"Is that the first kind of thing you ask to upperclassmen?" The brown haired guy asks.

"We're second years. We never met before." The blond haired guy informs.

"Oh! You're second years? Like Rocky?"

"Don't compare us to that third rate F rank." The blonde answers harshly.

"I see. So you wanna challenge me?"

"Yeah." The brown haired second year nods. "We came to see if you're as strong as they say."

"We also came to remind you of your place. Just because you are the only one who won the tournament doesn't mean that we'll let you keep boasting." The blonde haired guy adds.

"So you don't like it that an underclassman is stronger than you? You must be the butthurt type of guys, huh?"

"… You'll be sorry for that and dealt with." The brown haired guy replies.

Tyler, who kept a calm face until now suddenly grins in excitement.

"… Bring it on!"

**And so, Tyler takes on second years. Next week. Don't miss out.**


	19. New challenges part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**I am back. Tyler Dark is in for a fight…**

**Neutral P.O.V**

Tyler and Arcanine are standing before their new opponents. The two second years reach for one Pokémon each.

"Hey! Don't you think a two against one match is kinda unfair?" Tyler asks while shrugging.

"Like we'd fight fair against an insolent underclassman!" The brown one replies.

"We are second years so we make the rules here, first year! You should thank us that we allow you to use 2 Pokémon instead of one!" The blonde one adds.

"I'm fine either way. I'll give you a fighting chance by not sending Arcanine."

Arcanine looks saddened by that.

"Come on, buddy. Next time, I promise." Tyler pets it.

"Don't look down on us!" The blonde shouts.

"Know your place." The brown says.

"Luxray, Absol, full power!" Tyler's two Pokémon come out.

"Ampharos, go!" The blonde guy sends an Ampharos.

"Kangaskhan, come out!" The brown haired guy calls out Kangaskhan.

It is a 2 on 1 multi battle. Tyler's two Pokémon vs the two second years' Pokémon. The battle begins.

"Luxray, use Dig! Absol, use Swords Dance!" Luxray hides underground and Absol sharpens viciously.

"Ampharos, use Thunderbolt!"

"Kangaskhan, use Mega Punch!"

Both attacks are headed for Absol. Both second years seem to look at Absol like they fear it will do something drastic to change the match. But they forget that a first year has no way of knowing 'that' power.

"Absol, dodge Thunderbolt and counter Kangaskhan with Night Slash!" Absol ducks under the electricity and strikes against Mega Punch viciously. Kangaskhan loses the struggle and falls to the ground. And out of nowhere, Luxray surfaces and aggresses Ampharos with Dig.

"Ampharos, get up and use Strength!"

"Kangaskhan, rise and use Mega Kick!"

"Luxray, use Flame Fang! Absol, use Night Slash again!"

Luxray bites into Ampharos' arm before it could move, but Luxray refuses to let go. Absol viciously pushes back Kangaskhan once more. Both second years' Pokémon are panting. The two guys start to growl in anger and humiliation.

(How could that brat push us this far?!)

(We have no choice but to use 'that'. It pains me to waste it on a first year but we have no choice)

(Fine! I understand!)

Tyler raises an eyebrow at their whispering but then sees them showing a strange bracelet. They seemingly press something and a surge of light envelops their Pokémon.

"What?"

"I never thought we would be cornered to this extent by someone like you. But it's over now!" The blonde guy says.

"That's right. Behold, the Mega Evolution!" The brown guy touts.

"Mega… Evolution?"

"Shame that you don't have the credentials to achieve it. Not even your Absol. Pathetic!"

"You think those measly transformations are enough to deal with me? Luxray, keep biting with your Flame Fang!"

But Mega Ampharos, whose wool has unleashed on most part of its body, laughed at that level of damage.

"Ampharos, use DragonBreath!" Luxray is blown away by the attack.

"Kangaskhan, use Mega Punch and Mega Kick!" The double attack sends Absol flying.

"Haha! Mega Ampharos is now a Dragon Type too! Something like Flame Fang is nothing to it!" The blonde guy gloats.

"And thanks to Parental Bond, Mega Kangaskhan's special ability, I can attack twice. You are way out of your league. Give up." The brown guy says with authority.

"Give up? Me? Who do you think you're talking to? I will never give up as long as I am called Tyler Dark! I don't need fancy transformations to win. I just need to have my mad skills, right guys?" Luxray and Absol both get up and roar in approval.

Something shining suddenly drops near Absol from a nearby bush. A light then explodes out and Absol, just like that undergoes a transformation. Tyler is bewildered at the sight of this new Absol who contained so much energy that its hair took the form of wings.

"Well, I don't know what that is, but it's time I get serious anyway." Tyler grins.

"W-what? Mega Evolution? How did he pull it off? Impossible!" The blonde screams in disbelief.

"Thanks for telling me the type of your Ampharos by the way. Luxray, Ice Fang!" The cold teeth sink in Mega Ampharos.

"Kangaskhan, use Giga Impact!"

"Absol, shove it with Superpower!" Absol closes in on its opponent at blinding speed before mega viciously thrusting the poor Mega Kangaskhan towards the frozen Mega Ampharos. Both fainted. The match is over.

"…"

"…"

"Mad Skills!"

"Y-you!"

"DAMN YOU!" The Brown haired guy snaps.

"… Wait just a minute." A voice behind the two is heard. They freeze in place out of fear. "You've done enough. You should be in class right now. Call back your Pokémon and get lost!" They follow the command ASAP.

"Yes… As you wish… Student council president." The two leave in a huff.

Now, it's only Tyler and the president. It's a slim man with a black bob cut and glasses. He has a calm expression.

"You're… The student council president?" Tyler asks, perplexed.

"Yes, I am called Carl Johnson; third year. Recess has ended since 5 minutes. You should be in class right now."

"I would've gone in class. But those losers tried to pick on me so I had to retaliate."

"I understand. They were wrong. They won't bother you anymore."

"Alright. Then I'll go." Tyler says and calls back Luxray and Absol and prepares to leave but… Carl blocks the path.

"But they were right about one thing. You need to learn your place. You have to respect your elders. Allow me to teach you that lesson."

"Damn! You're really asking for it. Well, it should be interesting enough to fight the strongest of Victory High! It's your turn, Arcanine!" Arcanine, who stayed behind during all the events, roars and leaps in front of Tyler.

"… So this is the Arcanine that granted you your Victory at that tournament, huh? Interesting… But not impressive." Carl answers before reaching for an Ultra Ball. "I'll make this quick. Metagross, it's time!" The strongest Pokémon of the school enters the field.

This Metagross was seen at the entrance ceremony against the vice president's Salamence. Even if the vice president is the second strongest, Metagross still won soundly. This is not an opponent that could be dealt with by normal means.

"… Let's fight!" Tyler answers.

"Metagross, use Zen Headbutt!"

"! Arcanine, dodge, hurry!"

A few seconds after these words, Metagross crashed at the place Arcanine was standing previously. Cracks are running on the floor as Tyler gives a dumfounded look at the scene. He quickly snaps out of it to give the next commands.

"Arcanine, use Flamethrower!" The flames engulf the Steel type. But it's mostly unharmed. It could withstand a few Flamethrower attacks from the vice president's Salamence after all.

"… Meteor Mash!"

"Quick, jump over it and use Wild Charge!" Arcanine narrowly escapes the attack by passing over it. Meteor Mash rends the floor. But Arcanine hits hard on Metagross' face… But not even a scratch.

It's now clear to Tyler; one hit would be enough for Metagross to win this match. Arcanine HAD to dodge all hits. But it was still difficult, given as Arcanine can barely damage it and evade. The match can't stay with Arcanine on the defensive or the already slim chance of victory will be turned to null.

"Let's finish this. Metagross, use Giga Impact!" The Steel type heads dangerously for Arcanine.

"ARCANINE, JUMP AS HIGH AS YOU CAN!" Arcanine obeys. The instant after, Tyler sees the power of the attack made the playground a mess. Cracks were on the concrete floor everywhere and it was turned upside down at some places.

As Tyler slowly realizes the difference in power, he starts to wonder if accepting the challenge of the strongest was a good idea. But he is not the type to back down when provoked. After all, Carl was strong, but not as hopelessly strong as The Coach Mr. Damian. So he would bet everything on his next move to turn things around.

"Arcanine, dive on Metagross with your strongest Flare Blitz!" Arcanine dives like a flaming meteor on the Metagross that was still recharging. The impact actually made it recoil a bit. Hope was coming back inside Tyler. Victory may not be so far away. "Use Flare Blitz again!" Arcanine moves in for the kill.

"… Use Meteor Mash!"

… All hope is gone. Having already recovered, Metagross squashes Arcanine under its leg, ignoring the heat and flames. The battle is over.

"OK!" The president says while calling back his Metagross. "I've seen what I wanted to see. Now go back to class and mind your own business. See you." He says with a nice smile.

And thus, he leaves.

"…" Tyler stays quiet for a moment. He calls back Arcanine. "Guess there's still some training to do." He mutters.

"… I can help with that." Says a voice from the bushes nearby.

"So you were the one that threw this weird stone near Absol earlier. Why would you help me? … Vice president?"

The vice president comes out of the bushes. He is easily recognizable with his Brown bangs covering his right eye.

"I see my reputation precedes me." He says with a welcoming expression. "But since we haven't properly met, allow me to introduce myself. I am Connor McDrive, third year and vice president of the student council of Victory High."

"Anyway, what was that stone you threw earlier."

"This stone is called a Mega Stone." Connor replies. "It allows some Pokémon to undergo Mega Evolution. Your Absol is one of them."

"…"

"The discovery of this process is still recent so only a few can access it."

"But why help me? I could've beaten those two without your help."

"It's just that I didn't realize you were holding back against those two second years soon enough. And I couldn't let go as vice president of the fact that they'd gang up on you just because of jealousy."

"I see."

"You can keep the Mega Stone. Here is the bracelet that allows you to use its power." Connor says as he hands the bracelet to Tyler.

"Thanks."

"And I have a proposal for you."

"?"

"I can help you to train tomorrow. That is, if you accept my challenge. But you want to get stronger, right."

"… You bet, just bring it on."

"It's a deal, see you around."

Connor then leaves.

(… Better get back to class.)

Tyler leaves to get back to class. He is late. He will probably get scolded by the special teacher.

Meanwhile…

A girl with white hair stood at the entrance gate. Roxie is preparing to come back to Victory High.

"Finally, I'm back. For the first… And maybe the last time. KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

That psychotic laugh wasn't heard for a long time…

**Roxie is back. Tyler is against the vice president the next day to perfect his technique… What will happen?**

**Don't miss the next chapter next week to find out. Hope you liked. Until next time.**


	20. Shadow of trouble

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**I am back. What will happen now?**

**Neutral P.O.V**

A full day has passed since Tyler Dark and Carl Johnson dueled. It resulted in Tyler's defeat. But Tyler doesn't mind those events anymore. It's midday now, and he got out of the school grounds to go at a convenience store to get lunch. He is taking a sandwich, a slice of cheesecake and of course… His 'sacred drink', Total Freeze.

But he has to earn this meal!

"Dodrio, use Drill Peck!" The store clerk orders his Pokémon to attack.

"Eevee, dodge that and use Return!" Eevee evades the drill-like beaks and dishes out a full body hit.

Dodrio is unable to battle. The fight is over.

"Okay, here you go."The clerk hands Tyler his purchase.

"Thank you. Goodbye."

"Please come again."

This scene might seem strange to one who sees this. But it's common occurrence in the society Tyler Dark lives in. To get something, buy something, get taken somewhere, a certain level of skill at Pokémon battles is required. At a job interview, you got to at least beat the employer, to rent an apartment, beat the landlord and of course, to get stuff at a convenience store like just a while ago, you have to beat the clerk.

Tyler leaves the store where two girls are waiting. Bianca waves at him while Skyna keeps her arms crossed, frowning.

"Ah! Hey there, girls!" Tyler says with a smile. Eevee makes a cute face on Tyler's shoulder.

"Hmph! What took you so long? He's not that tough." Skyna asks, irritated.

"Come on! Don't be so stingy!" He replies, disinterested.

"You got Total Freeze too? Awww! I'm thirsty now." Bianca moans.

"Don't worry. I thought about you and I've taken a second bottle. Here!" Tyler says as he throws one at Bianca.

She happily intercepts it with her mouth like a Growlithe.

"Thank you Tyler!"

"Are you two done? Let's get out of here." Skyna says impatiently.

"Are you pissed because I didn't get you anything?" He asks, perplexed.

"As if!" She shouts before going ahead.

After all of this, the three are now eating. But as Tyler tries to finish his last bite of sandwich, Eevee looks like it wants it and pleads tacitly to him.

"Fine. Here you go, buddy." He says as he hands it the morsel.

Eevee feasts on it happily. After devouring it, it cuddles up to Tyler. So Tyler takes it in his arms and do affective some nose to nose. Then suddenly, as the pair is bathed under the midday sunlight, a strange energy surrounds Eevee… It's evolution. Happy with this turn of events, Tyler hugs the newly evolved Espeon tightly. Skyna is amazed by this sight while Bianca froze in place.

"Nice going, buddy." Tyler warmly says.

"It's been bothering me for a while but where did you get that Pokémon? You got it so suddenly and Eevee is kinda rare." Skyna asks.

"Oh? It's true I haven't told you where I obtained him."

"I-It's not like I wanted to really know about it or anything! I'm just disturbed that you always get stuff out of nowhere!"

"Well, my father contacted me and sent him on my P.C. He said he found him during one of his travels. He figured he'd be better in my hands and he should strengthen my team."

"What does your father do?" Bianca asks.

"He is an explorer. He travels around the world, to uncover secrets. His favorite subject is legendary Pokémon."

"Oh!" Bianca says in amazement.

"But you told me that your parents were move tutors." Skyna asks, suspicious.

"Well, to be more precise, my mother taught him all she knew after they were married. So in the end, both can be called move tutors. But my father is mainly an explorer."

"…"

"I see." Bianca says.

Tyler then looks at his watch and stands up.

"Well Espeon, it's almost time." Tyler announces.

"Time for what?" Skyna asks.

"You'll see. Wait a moment."

"… Ah! You actually came! Then let's go!" Says a voice in the middle of the playground.

"You bet!" Tyler answers to the guy who turns out to be the vice president.

He reaches for a Poké Ball. The fight is on.

"HOLD IT!" Skyna interrupts.

"W-what?" They both say.

"As class rep, I will not tolerate a Pokémon battle in the school grounds without proper authorization. Drop your balls now!"

"Come on, Boring Chick! Give up the rules for a while. Do you know who I'm facing?"

"Hey come on. I'm the vice president. I can allow such a thing."

"*Sigh* I guess I can't stop you, Tyler. Get on with it then." Skyna replies, defeated.

(Geez, so stubborn.)

"Well. Go, Salamence!" Connor sends out his Salamence.

"Espeon, come on!" Espeon comes in front of Tyler.

"You can send any number of Pokémon that you like. Come at me!"

"And I will! Espeon, use Shadow Ball!"

"Salamence, deflect it!" The Dragon Type easily sends the attack flying far away with the back of its wing.

"Okay then! Espeon, use Psychic!" Salamence is slammed to the ground by the telekinetic hold. But it's mostly unharmed.

"Salamence, use Dragon Pulse!"

"Bounce it back with Psychic!" With a great mental effort, the attack is sent back at the opponent. Salamence recoils.

"Not bad! Salamence, use Dragon Rush!" Salamence dives on Espeon.

"Stop it with Psychic!" But the sheer power of the move breaks the telekinetic hold. Espeon is felled in one hit.

"Nice shot! It lasted longer than I thought." Connor praises.

Tyler takes Espeon in his arms. "Thank you, buddy. You were great!" He calls it back.

"Now what are you gonna do?"

"This! Arcanine, full power!" Arcanine roars powerfully as it comes out.

"Oh! Going all out?"

"Yeah!"

Bianca and Skyna watch quietly.

"Salamence, Aerial Ace!"

"Jump above it!" Arcanine leaps over Salamence's back. "Now use Dragon Pulse!" The move connects and Salamence falls to the ground.

"Hmm, so you taught it Dragon Pulse, eh? Not bad at all!"

"Hey, I trained like hell last night for this moment."

"A determined trainer, I like that. Come on!"

"Arcanine! Use Wild Charge!"

"Counter with Dragon Rush!" Both attacks collide. Arcanine is completely tossed back by the shock. Salamence doesn't even take half of the damage Arcanine suffered.

"Get up and use Dragon Pulse!"

"Block it!" One wing of Salamence blocks the attack, leaving it open for another attack.

"Now, use Overheat!" The blast of heat blows away Salamence. "Is it over?"

"Think again." Salamence gets up from the smoke with glowing eyes.

"Damn, I can't keep it down?"

"Salamence, finish it with Dragon Rush!"

"Counter with Flare Blitz!" Another clash occurs. But Arcanine is fainted. Salamence breathes heavily though.

"Incredible! A first year lasting so long against a third year is unprecedented! You got skills. I can see why you won that tournament."

"Anyway, I'll send one more Pokémon. Absol, full power!" Absol appears.

"Salamence, use Dragon Pulse now!"

"What?" Absol is hit violently. But it's still conscious. "Get up, Absol, use Swords Dance!" Absol sharpens viciously. "Now, use X-Scissor!"

"Deflect it!" Salamence's right wing blocks and sends Absol flying.

Absol gets up with difficulty. One hit could end it.

(Guess I have no choice but to use it!)

Tyler reaches for a bracelet on his left hand. His Mega Ring starts to shine and the light affects Absol. Connor watches in amazement as Mega Absol makes its return.

"Now then… Absol, use Night Slash!"

"Salamence, use Aerial Ace!"

But the vicious Night Slash completely overpowers the Dragon Type and Salamence crashes to the ground.

"Psycho Cut!"

"Dragon Pulse!"

But Dragon Pulse is cut in half before slashing Salamence viciously.

"Yes! Almost there!"

"Grrr! Use Dragon Rush!"

"Counter with Superpower!"

As the collision occurs, Absol's paw viciously breaks onto Salamence's face. The Dragon Type crashes through a wall of the main building. It faints.

"… Okay! You did well. Let's stop there." Connor says while calling back Salamence.

"Agreed. It was a good fight, thank you." Tyler replies while calling back the Mega Pokémon.

"What was that?" Skyna asks.

"Absol looked somehow different." Bianca adds.

"Well, it's hard to explain." Tyler answers.

"Leave it to me." The vice president says.

… …

After a bit of explaining, Connor got it the core of the subject.

"We were informed by someone named Cheren that there were traitors under Elysium who were hindering other schools in competition."

The sheer mention of Cheren made the three frown. Bianca begins to worry.

"But I dealt with the traitor." Tyler says.

"I know. We haven't seen first year Roxie since the tournament. However…"

"…"

"There were two other competitions being held. One for the second years and third years. It is likely that another traitor from this school participated."

Tyler gulps.

"Another… Traitor?"

"Yes. This is also the reason why I helped you yesterday and sparred with you today. The help of someone who defeated somebody of Elysium is primordial. If you accept of course."

"Of course I accept! It's about time I finish things with those goons!" Tyler clenches his fist.

"I will consult the student council president for a countermeasure. Meanwhile, tell me about anyone suspicious, alright?"

The three nod and leave. Class is restarting soon.

… …

The weather is getting really cloudy. The sky gains a gray color fast. Brock and Whitney are heading back to class. They walk along a corridor.

"Thank you for buying me ice cream, it was delicious." Whitney says with glee.

"Don't mention it." Brock says, seemingly embarrassed.

"So we're having Speed class next. To be honest, I prefer The Coach's Physical classes."

"Wel-huh?"

Brock cuts his speech when he sees a familiar figure at the end of the corridor.

(R-Roxie? It can't be!)

… …

Roxie gets to the stairs between the first and second level. She's on the phone.

"I just talked to our other spy. Things are going smoothly for the attack… Are the others ready? Alright we will begin in 10 minutes."

… …

Connor the vice president is in the student council room with the president Carl.

"I managed to get help from a few students. We might find the traitor. Still, I sense hostility coming from outside the school. I really have a bad feeling. Maybe we should inform the principal, or the authorities."

"No, don't worry. Everything is in control. Just leave it to me. I just talked to a student before you arrived and from what I've heard, we have no reason to fear anything." Carl says reassuringly.

… All the lights in the school suddenly shut down.

"What? What's happening?!"

"As I said, don't worry." The president answers, cracking a smile. "Just leave everything to me."

… …

At the same moment, Tyler was in the classroom. They were listening to the teacher when, suddenly, the lights went out.

Tyler jumped from his seat, followed by Skyna to calm him down. He then comes at in front of the door leading to the corridor.

"Something's not right." He says.

"Calm down, you are disturbing the calm of the class." Skyna says as she grabs his arm to restrain him.

"Yes! Don't worry; it's just a little blackout. Nothing serious." The teacher says calmly.

"INCOMING!"

Tyler screams this before he takes Skyna down to the ground in a protective manner.

A light then immediately shone.

It wasn't the lights that were back on.

It wasn't the rays of the sun as they were hidden by that dark gray sky.

It was the light of an incoming Hyper Beam visible from behind the window heading straight for the classroom.

… The classroom is then engulfed in an explosion. The building around the classroom is partially destroyed as well.

No one knows what's happening. No one had the time to figure out what was happening.

But whatever's happening… It's just the beginning.

**Things are looking grim. To know what is happening, come back next week. Hope you liked. Reviews are welcome. See you…**


	21. Victory High in danger

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Pokémon.**

**Victory High is under attack? Let's find out…**

**Neutral P.O.V**

At the other end of the Hyper Beam that was fired on Tyler's classroom, a Garbodor is happy. Then, another explosion ensues in the student council room at the third floor. To make things worse, Garbodor's trainer calls it back from a distance and jumps in the school yard before shouting the following words in a talkie-talkie: "Men! Commence the attack!"

And thus, the invasion began…

Meanwhile, in Tyler's classroom, the Special teacher's Alakazam used Protect and it preserved the students from harm. But the class itself was blown away and a big fissure was visible from the outside that extended from the first floor to the ground floor. As for Tyler and Skyna, they fell through the cracks from the attack and must be at the ground floor. The students are starting to lose their cool.

"Everyone, keep calm, I'm here!"

Brock, Whitney and Cheren take a peek through the broken floor.

"Stay with me! I can't protect you if you go this far from the Protect barrier!"

"It's okay. We can't stay on the defensive like this, anyway." Brock replies.

"No! It's too dangerous for a kid!" The teacher screams.

"I'm still A class. I'll be alright. I'll go and see if Tyler is alright."

"I'm coming with you." Whitney declares.

"No. I want you and Cheren to go and check the other classes. And to measure the extent of damage and the nature of the situation. We need to know exactly what's going on." Brock says before preparing to jump down.

"No! Come back here!" The teacher shouts.

But Brock pays him no heed and jumps down. Whitney and Cheren then head for the corridor.

(Dammit! I can't chase after them while I'm protecting everyone!)

"Um, sir?" Bianca says behind him.

"?"

"Another student went out of the class while you were talking with them."

…

During Brock's planning, on the ground floor, Skyna is slowly opening her eyes.

She finds herself wrapped inside Tyler's arms. His face is a few centimeters from hers. Luxray was used to cushion the fall with its powerful muscles. Skyna reflexively wrapped her own arms around Tyler during the fall.

"… W-what's going on?! Let go, pervert!"

"Stop squirming! We don't have time for this!"

"A-anyway, I could've stopped my own fall with Altaria's wings!"

"Well, my body just… Moved on its own." Tyler says before letting go of her.

"… I-idiot…" Skyna stays quiet and blushes.

He takes her hand and drags her away.

"Come on, let's go! We have to get to the bottom of this!"

"N-not so fast, idiot!"

They then went through the cracks towards the playground.

A few seconds later, a big form landed from the place the two fell from.

A Rhyperior lands with noise with a young man, standing on its shoulders, arms crossed. Brock gets down from the Ground Type and calls it back.

"Good job Rhyperior."

Brock looks around a few seconds.

"They went that way."

He follows the two through the big wall crack.

…

As Cheren walks along with Whitney, he mutters.

"What a big bother."

"We need to find out what's happening. But how? We have no idea who is attacking us, their objective, their numbers or even if they're attacking us at all!"

Cheren stops by a window.

"Looks like we'll find out soon enough."

"?"

Curious, Whitney peeks at the window.

"But I already know that that it IS an attack."

"!"

They both react to the horror they are seeing from the window showing the school yard.

"I can tell it's going to be a real bother…"

…

Hundreds. Hundreds and hundreds of guys in thug clothes are assaulting the school. They broke down the front grid and are now using their Pokémon to wreak havoc inside the school. Normally, the schools security cameras would have seen the thug activity before they attack and an alarm would have rang because of the commotion. But because of the power outage, it could not happen. A whole school of Golbat is using their Air Cutter attacks to break constructions. A few students, all years and ranks altogether, are currently trying to repel them. However, they won't last another moment. But then, reinforcements came. A powerful Thunderbolt attack did short work of the Golbat group before shocking one of the thugs nearby. A Stone Edge move blew away the Poochyena group and a Dragon Pulse smote down most of the Koffing floating in the area.

"Mad Skills! That's my Luxray!"

"… Be careful, Rhyperior. More are coming."

"Come on, Altaria, let's show them. As class rep, I won't tolerate that bastards mess with my school and get away with it."

Finally, this holy trinity has shown up.

But lending a hand isn't going to help much if the whole problem isn't settled at its source. Tyler takes the shocked thug by the collar.

"Where are you bastards from?"

"R-rock Academy." He says before collapsing.

(Those thug losers are trying to wreck our school? Why?)

Having heard it too, the two others frown.

"If only I could talk to the student council president, we could come up with a countermeasure. Especially when almost an entire school is attacking us. The principal sure took a fine time to be absent from the school premises!"

"The student council room is at the third floor. We have to take the stairs over there!" Skyna says.

"Let's go!" Brock shouts.

But then a gust of unknown origin blows away the part of the building where the stairs were supposed to be.

"THOSE BASTARDS!" Tyler yells.

"No problem, just use the flight of my Altaria to get there." Skyna suggests.

But suddenly, another unknown gust knocks Altaria down.

"We're afraid we can't let you do that." A voice says.

It was him. That guy. The one that was sent to retrieve Ernest that fateful night. It's Falkner from Elysium.

"Y-you!" Tyler rages.

"Missed me?" He smiles.

"What is Elysium doing here?"

"Can't you see? This attack is under Elysium's command. Using the entire Rock Academy and the spies we have at our disposal."

"Why?"

"Why?" Falkner asks, surprised. "Did you think you could freely mock Elysium with impunity?"

"You dumbass! This is a criminal act!"

"You have no proof! Rock Academy are the known culprits after all. Seeing me doesn't matter since this is the end for you and your school."

"We'll see." Tyler says before reaching for a Poké Ball.

"TYLER!" a voice shouts.

It's Whitney from a nearby window.

"Whitney?"

"There is a small bridge that links the old building to the third floor of the school! You can go from there!"

(How does she know that? Well, no time to think about that, I can get there and end this shit!)

"Thanks, I'll be going!"

"Do you think I'll let you? You're not going anywhere!" Falkner shouts while sending out his Pidgeot.

He narrowly avoids a hail of Stone Edge. Brock blocks his path.

"We'll handle this. You keep going!" Brock shouts.

"Janine! I need some help over here!"

The young female ninja gets out of hiding.

"Don't you guys think you're a little out of your league?" She says with a scornful look on her face.

"Pelipper, fly away!" A Pelipper comes out. "If you think we're outmatched this time, you got another think coming!" Skyna says with a glare.

Tyler then runs towards the old building and sees Cheren who jumped out from the first floor.

"Cheren!"

"Let me accompany you. You might need help. Let's nip this bother of an attack together."

"With pleasure."

They run to the old building.

But it's just to find Roxie, dangling on top of the building entrance door.

"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH! Tyler! I missed YOOOOOOOUUUUUUUU! Too bad I can't let you past here. Ever."

"It's that insane sow again." Cheren says, irritated.

"She can't beat us anyway, Cheren. Let's just get past her. When the president helps us, this attack is pretty much over."

"… …"

Roxie's face shows the expression of having heard the most ridiculous thing ever.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAAHAAAAAAA!"

Cheren and Tyler put themselves on guard.

"How do you think we managed to get in so easily? Why do you think security was disabled just BEFORE the attack was carried out?"

"…"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Did you really think that I was the only spy? Elysium needed someone with authority too!"

"… You don't mean?"

Roxie smiles sadistically.

…

The two guys were on the roof. After the surge of energy from each of them opening their Balls, the student council room was blown to smithereens.

The vice president's Nidoking was breathing hard just like the opposing Armaldo of the president.

"Hah hah hah. I had doubts all along! But I wasn't hoping it wouldn't come to this." The tired vice president says.

"…"

"Why! Why did you betray us?! I respected you; we brought this school on a new level, you and me! Why in the world would you do something like this?! Are you insane?! What is your problem?!" Connor now has tears welling up in his eyes.

"…"

"Answer me already, Carl!"

"SHUT UP, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Carl yells.

"!"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW?! I NEVER GAVE A SHIT ABOUT THIS DUMP!"

Connor is taken aback by these words.

"… I can't believe what I'm hearing."

"I don't care about what you think of that. BUT IT'S THE FUCKING TRUTH! THE ONLY REASON I WENT HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE I WAS REFUSED TO ENTER THE SCHOOL OF MY DREAMS!" He yells before calming down. He keeps going with a broken voice. "I… Wanted to enter Elysium… But I was refused… Too weak, they said… But during the third year tournament… It's been rectified. They said that if I somehow messed up my game before the tournament, they would let me in Elysium. I only care about my dream, and not for this second rate school."

"So… The traitor was you?"

"Just who do you think would be able to sneak Roxie in the school? Or have the authority to disable the security for that matter, not to mention easily cause a power outage?"

"But why did you challenge Tyler?"

"He tainted the reputation of the school of my dream! So I put that snot in his place!"

"… I thought you and I were friends."

"I never once regarded you as a friend." Carl replies bluntly.

"… Then nothing else needs to be said."

"… Let's put an end to this."

And so, the fight resumed…

…

Cheren and Tyler couldn't believe what Roxie was saying. The student council president, Carl Johnson, was a traitor.

"That bastard!" Tyler says.

"…"

"You realize now? You never had hope since the beginning!"

"… I'll stop him then. I'm going to the roof."

"Whoa. Not so fast! Now then Tyler, let's enjoy our little reunion. It will be a very painful reunion. I WILL GET BACK AT YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME LAST TIME! I'LL FUCKING TROUNCE YOU AND RAPE YOU WHILE YOU DIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!"

The vengeful girl reaches for a Poké Ball and dives straight for Tyler. But nothing happens. Because a Hydro Pump grazes her and she falls to the ground nearby. The sender is an Azumarill. And by its side stands… Jimmy Donald.

"? Jimmy? What are you?"

"… Let's say that she is not the only one that wants payback." He mutters.

"…"

"I came here when I saw you guys by a window. Boris and Daniel went in the school yard to help fend off the thugs."

"I see."

"Go now, Tyler! I'll take care of her."

"Don't be foolish! Remember what happened last time?"

"It's a chance I have to take. I still don't get the whole situation, but knowing you, I bet it has to do with getting past here. You'll just waste time if she blocks your path. I'll make it through somehow. Now go!"

"But…"

Cheren grabs Tyler's arms.

"Let's respect his wishes. We have to go now."

Tyler stays quiet for a few seconds, then finally talks.

"Very well. Let's go Cheren."

They run inside the building and close the entrance door.

"There's no telling what she'll do to you if you lose! Good luck!" Tyler shouts behind the door.

Jimmy smiles.

"Leave it to me."

He now turns to Roxie.

"So… It's just you and me now."

Roxie gets up. She looks at Jimmy with a coldness that would make one think she's looking at dirt. However, that cold look is full of a frightening hostility. Yet Jimmy stays unfazed and adjusts his glasses.

"… So a C class trash like you wants to get in the way? You must have a death wish. DON'T GET IN THE WAY WITH MY PLAYING WITH TYLER YOU LITTLE SHIT! I'LL POISON YOU BEYOND SALVATIOOOOOOOOONNNN! WHEN I'M FINISHED WITH YOU I WILL CRUSH THEM TOOOOOOOOOO!"

"I'm afraid you won't get any farther. Because I will have you lose to me. End of story." He says, still calm.

"…"

"…"

Roxie then sends Azumarill's opponent.

**And that's it for this week. On a separate note, I published this chapter earlier than usual because I will be busy this week-end with a certain Pokémon game. If you liked, reviews and impressions are welcome. See you next week… Maybe… (For Jimmy vs Roxie, yeah!)**


End file.
